Light of Dawn
by Tennoda
Summary: Dawn's story and the origin of her powers. How she ended up being chased by giant robots, discovered her abnormal abilities and fell in love with a Prime. Not forgetting fun little escapades and brutal, dramatic events that changed her life forever.
1. Prologue

It's probably about time I did a proper long story for Dawn. I'd say she earns it after everything I've put her through. Yay, she's finally getting a physical form and a personality!

I'll be taking some things from the Prime cartoon, and leaving some things out. And already, I'm having fun thinking of the endless possibilities. I hope you will have fun reading this too.

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or any of the characters from the show.

* * *

"... It still remains unclear what could've caused this kind of damage to the public library. Only one person was found unconscious on the scene of the eruption and they have been unable to shed light on the events. The police continue their investigations, but so far..."

The sound of the news anchor cut off as agent Fowler paused the video and gazed expectantly at the group of Autobots gathered around the steel grating walkway. "An immense burst of energy, strong enough to warp solid metal structures within 200 feet, yet still leaves every single book untouched and neatly in place. Care to explain what could've caused that, cause none of my guys sure as hell couldn't."

"Whatever it was, it wasn't our fault this time, Fowler", Bulkhead gestured heatedly. "So how about losing the attitude, before someone gets carried away and forgets to watch where they step."

"Bulkhead..." the deep voice of Optimus reproached, silencing the stout wrecker. The red and blue Autobot leader turned his attention back to their human liaison.

"This strange energy signature did not go unnoticed by our equipment either, agent Fowler, and we already performed a covert reconnaissance mission while your human rescue team was still inspecting the scene. There were no traces of cybertronian matter according to our scanners."

"Then we got nothing! There was absolutely nothing to be found. No explosive substances, no mystical super weapons, nada! Only a mystery that goes way over my headache. Can you be absolutely sure it's not some Decepticon shenanigans?"

"With Megatron, I've learned, nothing is certain", the expression on Optimus' face plates grew sterner at the thought of his former friend. "But we weren't the only ones curious about this mystery. Megatron's spy master, Soundwave, also did several flybys over the library. It is my belief that they possess no more information about this incident than we do."

"So that's that, then", Fowler grumbled, dissatisfied. "Uncle Sam doesn't like these kind of unexplained cases."

Optimus shook his head. "I'm afraid there is still one lead we, as well as the Decepticons, could follow."

The experienced agent was quick to follow. "You mean the unconscious girl. She has already been questioned multiple times since she woke up. She has no idea what hit her and no connections to any seedy parties that would imply she has something to hide."

"That might not be enough to keep her from catching Megatron's attention. If he sets out to solve the origin of this energy, he will go after her. Soundwave already saw her face as they were moving her out, it won't take him long to find out all the information they need about her."

"Well, naturally we're keeping tabs on her for now", Fowler announced confidently. "And I happen to know where she is right this moment. I'll send a patrol to pick her up..."

"No, agent Fowler", Optimus interrupted with a tone that accepted no objections, though it rarely seemed to work on the stubborn man. "Though I cannot name a reason for it, something in this case feels... disconcerting to me. It is best we will handle this."

"Like hell it is, Prime! The place we're talking about isn't some backwater junkyard where no one notices giant robots having death matches. There are civilians at risk here!"

A frustrated sigh from Ratchet signaled the medic's patience was wearing thin. "We have more than one way of blending in with the natives of this planet. I suggest you heed Optimus' advice if you want your 'lead' to avoid becoming one of Megatron's test subjects. The fact that you know where she is, means that so does Soundwave, and that we are running out of time."

"... Fine", Fowler gave in begrudgingly after a moment's consideration. "But there better not be giant robot death matches."

Optimus nodded a confirmation, turning to look back at the high-pitched sound of wheels screeching as a red muscle car skidded into the base, transforming on the fly.

"What did I miss? Oh, only the usual berating. You should try loosening that noose around your neck, Fowler, it might keep that vein on your head from popping."

"Cliffjumper", Optimus called the horned mech, who gave a casual salute as he strolled next to Arcee and Bumblebee.

"Ready for action, just say the word."

"Action is one thing we will take care to avoid on this mission", the tall Autobot glanced over his team to make sure he had everyone's attention. "We are going to be in close contact with humans. What we need is stealth and subtlety."

Arcee scoffed with a brief smirk. "Then I know a couple of bots we need to leave at the base."

"Contact Wheeljack", Optimus spoke to Bulkhead. "If he is still in the vicinity, I would appreciate his support."

"Make that three bots", the lithe femme corrected.

"Enlighten me, Prime", agent Fowler looked anything but confident in the Autobots' capabilities. "What exactly are you going to do when you find her?"

Optimus remained silent for a moment. "We will try to reason with her... but as it is likely she will not want to hear us, we might not have any other choice, but to take her with us until she realizes the danger she is in."

* * *

Megatron was starting to think sending Starscream might've been a mistake. It usually was.

Still, Soundwave was with him, as were Knock Out and Breakdown, who seemed to be well-acquainted with the human world. How badly could his second in command manage to blunder fetching one human?

He didn't want to answer his own question.

Megatron paced the command center, servos tightly clasped behind his back. Something was making him feel restless, on edge. It might've been that he simply hadn't yet grown used to the newly acquired dark energon that was running through his veins, but he suspected there was more to it. The energy discharge Soundwave had reported soon after his fusion with the so-called blood of Unicron had been the start of his uneasiness.

The Vehicons stationed at their posts increased their work effort nervously every time he drew closer, but the gray-plated warlord paid no mind to them.

In any case, the unexplained event had been too interesting to pass by. Powerful and defying the laws of physics. At first Megatron had suspected one of the ancient relics had surfaced, but had that been the case, the humans would've found it, and according to the intel Soundwave had collected, their searches had yielded nothing.

They might still manage to extract some information from the witnessing human, however. If the modifications Knock Out had planned for the cortical psychic patch would work, they might even see for themselves what happened.

The simplest thing would've been to wait until the human returned to where she resided, and send Soundwave to get her, but apparently she hadn't headed there after her release. Megatron hadn't been willing to wait and give the Autobots the time to possibly foil his plans.

An intercepted message had given them a public location, which complicated things. Despite the formidable forces at his disposal, Megatron wanted to avoid declaring an open war against humankind before the rest of the remaining Autobot resistance would be eviscerated. Hence the more discreet operation he had sent his underlings on.

A dissatisfied snarl bared a set of teeth, as spiky as its owner's massive frame. The nearest Vehicons flinched and took a step back.

It had been too long, Starscream should've reported back already. It wouldn't have been surprising to learn he had found something and was trying to steal it for his own purposes. By the Pits, that egregious fool was causing more harm than he was worth. It was an issue Megatron decided to take under closer consideration in the near future.

But first, he would personally go and make sure he got what he wanted.


	2. Paranoia

Thanks for the encouraging review from a nameless guest, as well as **Guardinthena** for the message that gave the first chapter the greatest compliment it could've gotten.

Strap in and forget everything you knew about Dawn beforehand.

* * *

Dawn felt the embarrassment warming her cheeks as the bartender's frowning gaze went from the tattered twenty dollar bill she was handing, to her soaking wet jacket on the counter. She dutifully pulled the jacket onto her lap and extended her hand again. The bartender took the money without a word, leaving the change on the counter, and soon handed over her drink.

Dawn tasted the brightly colored concoction she had ordered from a small chalkboard list, making a face as she found it to be way too sweet for her taste.

She kept sipping at it anyway. After a day of inexplicably collapsing in the middle of a public building and waking up in a hospital to being tested and interrogated about the destruction of said building, surly bartenders and their drinks didn't exactly take top priority in her mind.

When the authorities had finally let her go, the day had already turned into early evening. She had walked around aimlessly, too agitated to go home or even stop by anywhere. She hadn't been that restless in a long time. As rain had started pouring, she had hopped on a bus, ending in a neighborhood she hadn't visited before. It had looked like it was in the middle of getting mowed down in the name of progress. A bar called Beehive had still been standing, though, an old-looking two-storied building with stained glass windows, stone walls and a large, yellow neon sign on the front.

Dawn had intended nothing more than to take her demons out for a walk until she would've been ready, or at least tired enough, to go back home, but watching the shifting darkness through the bus's rain-coated windows, and seeing it lit by watery pearls of warmly glowing light had invoked in her a feeling that had lead to her getting off the bus on a whim.

The Beehive had looked out of place in the middle of the surrounding construction sites, and that had suited Dawn just fine. Her whole day had been so out of place, it had almost felt like a sign. Texting her roommate where she was heading and telling her to feed the cat, Dawn had left the cover of the bus stop and run across the flooded parking lot.

The remote bar had proven to have a surprisingly lively atmosphere, filled with blaring dance music and a half-crowded dance floor, even a separate game room in the back with pool tables. Dawn had settled next to the bar counter, to the side where she could see the people approaching.

She collected her thoughts, easily remembering everything she had done in the morning and recent days after having gone over them so many times with the doctors and agents. Nothing out of the ordinary until she had gotten to the library. Then, out of nowhere, the feeling she had felt just before losing her consciousness. The dark, oppressing, suffocating feeling that had hit and overwhelmed her in the blink of an eye.

All she had learned after waking up again was that she was probably now on some government terrorist list.

The thing was, that wasn't really what even bothered her. The stone-faced people questioning her all day, showing her pictures of the strangely selective destruction in the library, the possibility that she had suffered a seizure of some sort... it all felt mundane.

It was that dark feeling that scared her. This wasn't the first time she had felt it, though it had never manifested this strongly.

She had always been a little paranoid, well-aware of it and usually the first to make fun about it among the few friends she had. Fearing shadows and her own dreams, as if something was out to get her. She remembered faintly her mother having been the same before she had died. By the time she had reached her twenties, she had already grown accustomed to the feeling lurking in the background, blaming it on some traumatic childhood event she couldn't remember.

Who would've guessed only a couple of years later it would get so bad she would have to question her sanity.

Dawn raised her eyes from the slowly melting ice cubes in the half-empty glass, and looked over to a row of mirrors following the wall. She didn't look crazy. Her black-dyed hair was cut in a choppy inverted bob she had liked from the start. It framed her face nicely. Her eyes that had never been able to decide whether they wanted to be blue or green looked perplexed and somewhat reserved under her bangs. Maybe her casual, comfortably loose clothing looked out of place in the sea of fashionable getups and high heels, but in her opinion, she didn't fit the description of crazy.

"How can such a lovely thing be sitting here all alone."

Someone else did, though.

Dawn turned to bluntly refuse the advances of whoever had thought she'd be easy pickings, and froze in utter, jaw-dropping disbelief. What she found looming over her was a silvery, skin-tight disco nightmare that looked plastic enough to repel a waterfall and sparkled more than modern cinema vampires. It took her a while to take it all in, from the tall collar and exaggerated shoulders, to the high heeled, also silvery shoes.

She couldn't see past the unbelievable outfit until its wielder leaned his elbow on the counter and took her hand in his, hovering way too close for comfort.

"I see I have managed to catch your attention", the flashy man's voice murmured like a wisp of smoke, tantalizing, yet with fatal potential. "Not to worry if you feel yourself dazzled. Just surrender to whatever sensations you feel awakening."

Did 'what the clucking fuck' count as a sensation?

The guy was tall and slim with dark gray hair and a long, pointy face. Could've been attractive without the clearly overblown ego and the look of someone who had just escaped either from a movie set or a mental institution. Dawn glanced down at the slender, well-manicured fingers that held her hand.

Another hand grasped her chin lightly and lifted her face to meet the ice blue eyes and smug grin. "Come with me and I'll guarantee you an experience that will shatter the limitations of your imagination."

Dawn stared.

Then snickered.

The next second she was laughing uncontrollably, brushing the hands off her and turning away to escape the offended expression on the strange man's face, which only made her laugh more.

* * *

Across the dance floor, two less conspicuous figures followed the comedic scene with interest.

"As usual, Starscream is making a scene and little to no progress", the smaller of the two sighed theatrically. "Better act like we don't know him."

"I wish we could do that all the time", the larger grinned. "I told him his holoform was too flashy and all I got was my optics nearly clawed out."

"It's his attitude that's the problem, more than his fleshy disguise. He's not exactly a master of subtlety."

"Should we step in already?"

"Yes, my dear Breakdown. It's time to work our magic."

* * *

Dawn didn't care how many people were looking at them, she was laughing so hard her eyes were watering.

"Please..." she tried to catch her breath. "Tell me... you're a time traveler accidentally stuck here in the 21st century, 'cause that would just make my day."

The stranger growled, reaching out and closing his long fingers around Dawn's arm, ending her laughter. "Now listen, you pathetic hu..."

"Is this creep bothering you?"

Startled, Dawn looked up at the sound of a gruff, cheery voice. Before she could say a word, the tightly squeezing hand was pried off her arm and two unknown men shoved the flamboyant jackass away from her.

"How dare you...!" the smokey voice rose to an edgy screech, but got silenced when the man looked closer at the two newcomers. "Bah!"

With that, he stormed away, shoving dancing people aside as he went. Dawn glared after him for a moment, before turning to examine her helpers, a burly man with a confident grin, and another, shorter one sporting a fiery red hair and intelligent looking face. Probably not undercover agents following her.

"Thanks."

"Glad to help", the red-head did a little mock-bow. "It looked like that guy was short of a few screws. I'm Knock Out, and my buff colleague here goes by the name Breakdown."

"Right..." Dawn raised a quizzical brow. "And I'm Rainbow Dash."

"Fine then, _Rainbow_ ", Knock Out flashed a teasing smile and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

No undercover agents, but definitely something to be suspicious of. Dawn shook the offered hand. Who called themselves with names like that? Gang members maybe?

"We're stunt drivers", Knock Out seemed to sense her wariness. "We have our... 'stage names'. Normally I'd welcome you to check out our rides, but I'm sure that encounter just now hasn't left you open to strangers."

"Not particularly."

"Nevertheless..." the talkative man continued, ignoring the discouraging comment and glancing back at the bar. "That stalker of yours is still there, glaring at us as we speak. I would feel terribly uneasy if we left you here all alone when he's still around."

Dawn didn't look, but she thought she could feel the icy gaze. It didn't help her paranoia, but she wasn't yet desperate enough to trust a couple of strangers, no matter how seemingly helpful.

"I'll be fine", she assured firmly. " And I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding other volunteers to 'check out your rides'."

"Ouch, I think you just got shot down", Breakdown declared humorously, slapping his accomplice hardily on the back. Dawn winced sympathetically as the smaller man jerked from the force. Looking at the thick, pronounced muscles that the big guy's blue tank top revealed, it was clear the friendly gesture hadn't been a gentle tap.

"You do realize I'm not the only one?" the red-head grimaced, rubbing his back. "I wouldn't blame anyone for wanting to keep a safe distance from you and your hammer-hands."

"I don't hear you complaining when I'm buffing your finish."

"Well, I can't deny it. Your skills with the buffer make up for a lot."

Dawn wasn't sure anymore what she was listening to, but it sounded like the bickering of old friends or an old couple. Either way they seemed close.

"These hands are also going to kick your tailpipe by those pool tables over there."

"Now, that doesn't even make sense."

"Wanna come too?" Breakdown turned to Dawn, pointing behind him with his thumb, to the adjacent room with a closed glass-window door. "It would take your mind off that nut job."

Dawn studied the rugged, stubbly face and the green, almost yellowish eyes that looked at her with expectation. She hesitated for a brief moment before shaking her head.

"No, like I said I'm fine. Thanks anyway."

"See? Shot down as well", Knock Out smirked at his friend. "We get the hint. Feel free to join us any time if you change your mind. And if that stalker tries anything funny again... you only need ask."

"It will be our pleasure", Breakdown added, cracking his knuckles with a grin that promised it indeed would be. Dawn wasn't sure whether to feel reassured or scared.

The two different, yet strangely compatible men left her to her own company, heading for the more seclusive pool room. Dawn couldn't help, but feel she might've been slightly unfair towards them. They had helped her after all, saving her from a potentially very unpleasant scene, and left without putting any kind of pressure on her. They might've been weirdos, but from what Dawn had seen, they didn't seem half bad.

With the brief distraction gone, Dawn remembered the shadows and her earlier seizure again. She tried to lose herself into the bar's atmosphere, taking in the rhythmically pounding music vibrating in her bones, and the sweet as well as pungent scents wafting in the air as people came and went, but it wasn't enough to rid herself of the anxiety clinging to her. She considered ordering another drink, but the thought of the disco freak still stalking her made her feel too uneasy to allow any further impairment to her judgment.

Glancing around, Dawn scanned the bar for the sparkly outfit, unable to spot it anywhere anymore. It didn't ease her mind. The guy had clearly been a mental case, so trying to predict what he was up to was a futile effort.

Something caught Dawn's eye as she searched. A couple standing by the front door. A blue-haired woman and a man in a sporty, red jacket. They were staring right at her, and not in a harmlessly curious way.

Dawn kept her cool, looking away casually, while hiding her racing heart. It must've been her imagination, there was no way the whole world was out to get her! The unpleasant feeling persisted though, and Dawn stole a quick look again, startled when she saw the two walking towards her.

She jumped to her feet, grabbing her bag and wet jacket, and headed quickly around the dance floor and into a long hallway. She wasn't really thinking. She felt the shadows she feared closing in on her, and when they did, she needed to move. It didn't matter where.

The back area was a maze, small groups of people conversing away from the deafening music. Dawn found the bathrooms, intending to go in first, but obeyed a last second whim and changed her course to hide in another, empty hallway. She stayed to listen, anxiety tensing her muscles. When the moment stretched, she slowly let the breath out of her lungs. They had approached the counter to buy drinks. Of course. Nothing to do with her.

Hasty steps tapped in the hallway, rekindling Dawn's doubts, and as she had feared, the same couple passed her by without noticing, heading decisively for the bathrooms. That was enough for her. Coincidence or not, she was going to distance herself from the situation.

Dawn was in luck, for once. The hallway she had hidden in, lead to a backdoor. The heavy door wasn't locked, probably on account of smokers, and she let it close behind her, sighing in relief as the refreshing breeze welcomed her.

It had stopped raining, and the narrow alley Dawn found herself in gleamed in the artificial orange glow of the street lamps. Only one other person stood against the wall further down the alley, a purple motorcycle helmet covering their head.

Dawn checked her phone, seeing her roommate had replied to her earlier message with a promise to come pick her up. It felt reassuring to know there was someone she could always trust. It was almost enough to separate her from the shadows.

Almost.

Dawn looked up from her phone, considering what she wanted to do, when something struck her as odd, sending her paranoia skyrocketing again. She saw the motorcyclist still standing where they had been a moment ago, but only now realized there was no motorcycle. What were they waiting for in an empty alley? Someone to mug?

A sudden, heavy thud from the rooftop was the last straw on Dawn's already strained nerves. She didn't stay to find out what had made the sound, pocketing her phone and fleeing quickly back inside. Something was wrong with the world that day, and if she couldn't get away from it, she was going to choose the best of her options.

She rushed to look for the eccentric duo that had invited her for a game of pool.

* * *

 _Target - out of reach._

The long metal feeler crept back up the side of the building. Soundwave had been scouting the area with Laserbeak, having noticed the presence of hiding Autobots, when he had seen through his holomatter avatar that the human target had exited the building. He had prepared to capture her in case she tried to escape, as instructed, but it had proven unnecessary.

Others were tasked with bringing her out. Soundwave would do his part and make sure she wouldn't fall into enemy hands.

* * *

Dawn had to admit, she felt a little better in the dimly lit room. Spotlights in the ceiling illuminated the green tables and the players around them, while cylindrical lamps affixed to the walls gave off a warm, intimate hue. The clanking of the hard plastic balls as they collided sharply with each other accompanied the constantly rising and falling chatter, creating an almost soothing background noise.

Dawn snuck next to the bar and ordered a pint she didn't intend to drink, before glancing over at the pool tables. There were a total of six, four of them crowded with players, one with only two. Her helpful stunt drivers.

They had noticed her too and Knock Out gestured with a nudge of his head for Dawn to join them. The smirk on his face was just as teasing as before, but at least Dawn felt it was honest. Teasing she could handle, undefined feelings of dread the other encounters had awoken, not so much.

"So you couldn't resist our handsome faces and charming personalities after all", the red-headed devil had to point out as she came to hearing distance. Leaning forward with his cue, he casually pocketed a ball on the other end of the table.

Dawn resisted the urge to roll her eyes and chose a chair, putting her drink down on a small table next to it. "I hope I'm not ruining your chances of picking up someone less impervious to cheesy lines."

"Now that you are here, we have all the company we need."

The flirt-levels were quickly rising towards insufferable, but beneath her distaste for such antics, Dawn felt relief for the closest thing to normal that day. Before she could even think of staying on the sidelines, Knock Out had already started gathering the balls back to the diamond-shaped rack and Breakdown had fetched her a cue, extending it to her with a challenge.

"Come play with us, if you think you can keep up."

Dawn took the offered cue, giving the broad, scruffy face a pondering look, examining it for any mischievous intent. She couldn't tell if they were seriously hitting on her or if they just enjoyed messing with people.

"You know how to play the game?" Knock Out asked as she approached the table.

"Yep", she stated briefly before taking the first shot and scattering the balls across the green surface. Right away she found an easy spot to continue, and circled the table, scanning the positions of the other balls to plan ahead.

"I'm sorry I even asked", Knock Out muttered, watching her sink one ball after another. "By the way... did that weirdo give you any trouble after we left?"

Dawn barely missed the ball she had been aiming for and stepped aside to give Breakdown his turn, lowering her voice so others in the neighboring tables couldn't hear her. "No... I didn't see him anymore..."

The red-head seemed to notice the hesitation in her voice. "But...?"

Dawn considered whether to share her suspicions or not, but faced with the openly curious gazes of both men, gave in. "There was this couple... I think they were following me. I mean, they went to the bathrooms when I..."

Immediately she regretted saying anything, hearing the glaring stupid in what she was saying. She gave an embarrassed laugh. "Yeah, feel free to mock me, I just wanna say it felt a lot more menacing than it sounds."

Breakdown laughed jovially, returning to the game, and Knock Out smirked, but waved his hand dismissively at his friend.

"Now, don't say that. If you're the kind of trouble magnet I'm starting to think you are, you shouldn't ignore what your instincts tell you. What did they look like?"

"Yeah", Breakdown looked back with a toothy grin. "We'll add them to the beatdown list."

Dawn did a poor job hiding her smile and pretending the offer didn't interest her as she shook her head. "No beating anyone down, thank you very much. They, uh... well, the woman was shorter than me, average weight I guess and blue, short hair. The guy seemed athletic, the jock type I'd say. Shaven head, red jacket... I think there was a picture of horns on the front..."

Knock Out and Breakdown exchanged glances. Dawn didn't know what it was about, but got the feeling they wouldn't give up on the idea of giving someone a beating.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why do you care?" she outed the question that had started to bug her. She didn't believe in people doing things simply out of the goodness in their heart. Not without some other motivation.

"You're flirting, but not seriously, I'm sure we don't have any previous connections, and you haven't tried to sell me anything. So. What's your angle?"

"Oh, don't rule out the serious flirting yet, I'm open for all options", a devious grin flashed on Knock Out's face, turning into a lighthearted laugh. "True, there is something I would want to do, and that would be taking you for a ride. Simply a fun ride, no indecent behavior or anything. You could say gorgeous cars are one of my passions, and I take great joy in sharing my passions with others. But don't worry, I get your uneasiness. My car's in the front, red, sleek-lined, you can't miss it. When you leave, at least go take a closer look by yourself, I promise it's like nothing you've ever seen before."

Breakdown lost his turn and came to stand next to Dawn, leaning down to whisper loudly. "He's exaggerating of course, but you can be sure he's going to bug you for your opinion about his pride and joy if you meet again."

"Fine, I'll take a look", Dawn promised, feeling content with the compromise of not having to trust complete strangers, but not having to offend them after they had helped her either. "I'm sure I'll be impressed."

They continued the game, and Dawn even relaxed enough to start consuming the drink she had bought initially just for show. Breakdown shared some explicit tales about the many ways he had wrecked cars, his enthusiasm making it pretty clear what his passion was, and Knock Out entertained them with equally detailed depictions of what were clearly illegal car races. Somehow Dawn couldn't imagine the strange duo doing anything else.

"Can I get you guys anything", she asked as she was heading to get another drink. "A kind of a late thank you for helping me earlier."

"No, we're both driving tonight", Knock Out answered more responsibly than Dawn would've expected. "We're just here to play."

"Suit yourselves", she shrugged and headed for the bar, considerably more relaxed than the first time.

* * *

"For the last time, we can't go in there now that she's with the cons", Arcee snapped. "We can't risk starting a fight here."

"So we'll just keep lurking here and hope for a chance to get to her before they take her?" Cliffjumper crossed the arms of his holoform. "Kind of optimistic of you. And where did that wrecker disappear to?"

"He's keeping a watch on Starscream."

"Just keeping watch?"

"He'll behave", Arcee wasn't sure if even she believed her own words, and continued muttering. "If he knows what's good for him."

"There's gotta be something we can do besides just wait."

"You tell me."

Cliffjumper sighed, glancing around him in the hopes of finding something to release him of the long wait. "Optimus should've put Bee here instead of me."

"You're the talker. Better start rehearsing what you're going to say to convince the human we're trying to help her."

" _Are you two lovebirds making any progress there?"_

Neither of the holoforms batted an eye at the gruff sound of Wheeljack's voice on their comm. link.

"Working on it", Cliffjumper replied first. "What's the hurry? Screamie causing you trouble?"

" _Ha!"_ the wrecker snorted. _"Funny. Actually I wanted to make sure you're not recharging on the job."_

"Now I'm feeling offended. I wouldn't neglect my duties just because their boring as Pits. Well... not much at least..."

"Wheeljack..." Arcee cut in. "Does this social call have a point?"

" _Like I said, I wanted to make sure you're looking sharp there because it seems Megatron is about to crash the party."_


	3. Graduating to full-blown madness

I kept thinking of Megatron's holomatter avatar from MTMTE, and especially a certain Felixfellow's extremely hot vision of him x) (on deviantart). So heavily influenced by those appearance-wise.

 **Guest:** Thank you very much and have another one. :)

 **Guardinthena:** As always, you're waaay too generous with your compliments. x) Thank you. K3 (tried to make a heart here, but the site didn't let me xP)

 **vampgirliegirl:** Indubitably.

 **starflower:** Thank you! :D (And oh no, now I'm worried if Megatron comes out good enough xP)

Enjoy the rising madness!

* * *

Dawn held in her laughter as she watched Knock Out miss his shot blatantly. Breakdown had just leaned down to whisper something into his ear, jarring the red-headed man badly.

"I'm pretty sure hassling other players is against the rules", Dawn pointed out, but had to ask anyway. "What on Earth did you say to him?"

Breakdown's answering grin was wide and self-satisfied. "That a bird just took a crap on his windshield."

This time Dawn did laugh. Knock Out shuddered and cast an annoyed glare at his friend before fixing her with his cunning smile and patting the rail of the pool table.

"Your turn."

Dawn shook her head, guessing what he had on his mind. "If you think something like that is gonna work on me, you're going to be sorely disappointed."

The mischievous duo shared an ominous look, which didn't surprise Dawn. She already knew enough about them to realize they wouldn't turn down such a straightforward challenge. She also knew she could beat them in their own game.

"Then surely you won't mind a little bet?" Knock Out suggested slyly. "Get the next ball in and you win."

"What's at stake?"

"Winner's choice. Any favor they want. In the range of good taste, of course."

"Fine. Talk only. No touching me or shaking the table."

"Wouldn't dream of it", Knock Out raised his hands innocently.

Dawn was aware she had drunk herself to the comfortable zone, where all of her earlier worries seemed distant and it was easy to act a little rambunctious. It was fine. More than she had hoped for when she had stepped into the bar. She was still in charge of herself and she was going to win that bet.

Stepping next to the table, she was immediately surrounded by the two men.

"You know, Breakdown..." Knock Out pondered on one side, lowering his voice to a seductive purr. "She has clearly been warming to us. Do you think she might be interested in something a little more... intimate?"

So that was the trick they chose to go with. Fluster her with dirty talk. Predictable, and not going to work on her. Dawn surveyed the table, finding a promising set up.

"Sure she is", Breakdown participated eagerly in the charade. "Especially if we give her a little demonstration..."

"A private exhibition?"

"Dropping my pants should get her attention."

"You're wasting your time", Dawn muttered, hardly listening to the attempted distractions, her intoxicated focus firmly on the game. She called out her next shot and bent down to place her hand on the table. From the corner of her eye she could see Knock Out lean his elbows against the rail to watch her closely.

"Do it, Breakdown."

Dawn frowned at the serious tone. She set the cue lightly between her spread fingers, wondering how far they were going to take the joke. She couldn't help a sideways glance as Breakdown's hands went to his leather belt.

Nah, they wouldn't...

She concentrated harder on the balls on the table. "You're _not_ going to flash a room full of people."

Knock Out chuckled on her other side. Breakdown proved her wrong.

"Go ahead", the musclebound man encouraged shamelessly, holding out his pride for her to see. "Take a look and tell me you're not interested."

"I think you're crazy, and going to get kicked out if anyone sees that", Dawn kept her resolve and resisted her natural curiosity. The guys were an odd combination of obnoxious and charming, but unfortunately for them, her paranoid mindset had always granted her a certain immunity to people's advances, crude or refined.

"If you've got nothing new, I'm taking that shot now."

Breakdown heaved an over-exaggerated sigh, tucking himself casually back into his coarse jeans. "Well, I tried."

"Clearly not the right approach", Knock Out admitted, watching as Dawn pulled the cue back to shoot. "Maybe she would rather hear the truth about us being giant, transforming robots from outer space."

Dawn stayed her hand, having to process what the red-headed man had just said. "Well, that's more interesting, I'll give you that. But I thought you were into cars, not robots."

"Naturally we are robots who turn into cars."

Dawn scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You know, I'm almost tempted to hear..."

She fell silent. Her eyes had glanced over a large figure by the door, captured by the unexpected sight.

"What do you know..." Knock Out muttered, letting Dawn know he had also seen the man who had just ruined her focus completely.

On first glance, her attention was drawn to the extremely tall and muscular build, which made him a giant compared to everyone else in the room, even Breakdown, who wasn't a small man himself. She noted the strong, stern features and mostly white hair that matched the white dress shirt that left his bulging arms mostly bare. She kept staring, seeing his eyes brush over the room indifferently before stopping at their table.

Before Dawn realized it, those eyes were looking into hers. She snapped out of her stupor and returned to the game, trying to chase the impressive character out of her mind. Reminding herself which ball she was supposed to aim for again, she took the shot quickly. It was far from surgical precision, the targeted ball clanking into motion faster than needed, close to rebounding from the rail and just barely diving into the corner pocket.

"There. You owe me one", she declared, her bafflement keeping her from feeling triumphant.

"Saw something you liked?" Knock Out teased.

"No!" Dawn was genuinely surprised to find herself blushing. "I just have never seen someone so..."

"Imposing?" Knock Out offered.

"Scary in a sexy way?" Breakdown suggested.

Dawn wasn't sure what word she was looking for. Whoever the man was, he had the confident bearing of someone used to being in charge. The way he had looked around him had projected arrogance. And a purpose. Not groomed enough to be a businessman. Military, the disconcerting thought came to her mind. It had a very sobering effect on her.

"Well, heads up. You're getting a chance to introduce yourself."

Dawn's eyes shot back towards the door at Knock Out's warning. True, the colossal man was clearly approaching their table. Looking over the low partitions that divided the tables to separate areas, Dawn could see people casting curious glances at the newcomer. She was just as curious, but it didn't ease the anxious tension in her gut the stranger had managed to reawaken. She squeezed the cue stick in her hand, pretending to be focused on the game as the man stopped by their table.

"Evening."

The voice was low and raspy, yet civil. Dawn pocketed her next ball and straightened herself, stealing another glimpse at the man on the other side of the table. He must've been well over seven feet tall. The thick goatee under his lower lip was dark brown as were his eyebrows, contradicting with the white of his hair. Dawn couldn't guess how old he was, though the creases on his face hinted at a fair amount of experience.

"How... may we be of assistance?" even Knock Out sounded unsure for a moment. "Interested in the game, perhaps?"

"No", the gravelly voiced man declined. "I'm meeting an old friend here. Do you mind if I wait at your table?"

"Not at all. If it's fine by you?"

Dawn wasn't ready for the question. The large man turned to her, keen eyes looking her over with what seemed like distant interest, the type one would show when presented with a menu to a mediocre restaurant. Dawn began feeling self-conscious. She leaned over the table again, ignoring the strange man and her own disrupted balance, and took aim.

"Sure."

* * *

"Scrap! What's _he_ doing here?" Arcee snapped after they'd avoided Megatron's holomatter avatar and returned to their observing. She turned to glare at Cliffjumper who looked a little too satisfied with the turn of events.

"We're one big step closer to complete mayhem and loss of human lives. Wipe that grin off your face and get serious for once."

"Well, if this comes to a fight, I am seriously calling dibs on Megatron."

"You two can go out on a date for all I care, _after_ the human is safely out of here."

"Great! You get the human out and I'll make sure the path is clear for you."

"Cliff!"

With no humans currently watching them, Cliffjumper was free to turn off his holoform and disappear, much to Arcee's exasperation. She returned to keeping watch and trying not to look like a lonely stalker, questioning whether protecting one human was worth risking a bunch more. Not to mention their own team members. Still, orders were orders, and she wasn't about to start ignoring them just because she didn't like them. Optimus had led them this far already and proven himself worth their trust time and time again. She would follow him through any ordeal.

"Optimus..." she opened her comm. link. "We've got a problem. A Megatron sized problem."

* * *

Dawn did her best to ignore the strange man. They had finished their game and started a new one. She hadn't been able to come up with a prize for winning their bet yet, claiming a rain check on it, despite Knock Out and Breakdown bugging her for _something._ They had soon continued their usual banter and joking, though, trying to draw Dawn into it too. It didn't work. Every glimpse she caught of the stranger's stern face distracted her. He hadn't moved an inch, but she could feel him watching her, and didn't know whether to blame it on her paranoia or not.

Soon she grew tired of avoiding the problem.

Leaving her cue stick leaning against the wall, she headed straight to the table where her unfinished drink had waited untouched since the assumed military man's arrival. She grabbed it with a determined swipe and seated herself, legs crossed, casting a challenging gaze at the large man on the other side of the round table.

"So did you come here to propose a deal or fight with your friend?"

The steely eyes turned from the game to look down at her. Dawn didn't back down on her straightforward question, rather removing the mystery from the man who was disturbing her peace of mind, than letting it bug her indefinitely.

"Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't seem like the kind of guy who hangs out in bars for idle chatter."

For a moment, the expression on the rugged face remained inscrutable, then a crooked smile tugged at the corner of the man's mouth.

"Perceptive, aren't you? And what do I seem like to you then?"

One black cloak away from a Sith lord.

The sinister stranger noticed her wariness, turning towards her in his chair and leaning his thick forearm on the table. "Do speak your mind. I appreciate honesty."

"That's great", Dawn took a sip from her drink, eyeing the huge man's cannonball shoulders. As if it wasn't enough that his mere aura was overpowering enough to crush someone, his bare hands would've been more than able to finish the job.

"Honestly? I wouldn't follow you to a dark alley. Or ask you to crack eggs for a batter."

"You must forgive our charming friend", Knock Out turned their way, leaning laxly into his cue stick. "She just had a rather unpleasant experience with a sleek and extravagant stranger who tried to force himself on her."

"Yes, I happened to hear a passing conversation of such an event", a grim, almost angry look crossed the large man's face, puzzling Dawn. She definitely hadn't pegged him as a crusader for women's rights.

"I didn't mean to be rude", she decided to at least explain herself. "Right now I'm just fed up with mysteries."

The broad-shouldered man's resentment faded, replaced by mild curiosity. "So you think of me as a mystery?"

"Real nifty pick-up method, Rainbow", Knock out winked, giving an infuriatingly sly smirk as Dawn felt her cheeks heat up again.

"Oh, go hump your car", she muttered, hiding her face behind a quick swig from her pint and ignoring the short burst of laughter from Breakdown's direction. "And don't call me that, it's embarrassing for us both."

"I have no interest in causing you discomfort", the giant of a man continued undisturbed by the interruption. "But since here is where my meeting will occur, I'm afraid you'll have to tolerate my presence for a while longer."

Dawn felt unsure. She really had no right to hound others and accuse them of being suspicious, when she was the one with the problem. She could've left, but she found herself reluctant to do that when the lively duo had done such a great job distracting her from her earlier anxieties. She had been having fun, and it vexed her to have to give it up.

No. She wasn't going to give in to her paranoia. Not this time. She deserved a break once in a while.

"I'm not saying you should leave", Dawn put her pint down and clinked the table's dark gray surface with her fingernails, feigning nonchalance under the imposing man's scrutiny. "Just tell me something. You didn't answer my question."

"About my intentions towards my dear old friend? And would knowing that ease your mind?"

Dawn shrugged and held the calculating gaze expectingly, soon rewarded as the towering man leaned forward, lowering his voice to a foreboding rasp.

"I will kill him if I can."

Dawn's mind went blank for a second, the grim statement making her heart pound. She didn't want to believe what she had just heard, and yet she found she had no trouble doing so.

The sound of amused chuckling broke through her shocked trance.

"You should see the look on your face", Knock Out's smug grin flashed a set of perfectly white teeth. "It's downright adorable."

Dawn looked from the grinning car expert to the white-haired man who was sitting straight again, losing the last bits of her composure as she saw the crooked smile again.

"Oh, come on", she huffed annoyed, but more relieved to find the man joking. "You can't say things like that to someone who's ready to climb out a window every time someone looks at them funny."

"And what makes you that nervous?"

Dawn became serious, trying hard not to summon the bad feelings back. "Things... It just seems to be who I am."

The gravelly-voiced man extended his large hand for her. "Let us start over properly, then. You can tell me about these 'things', and I will tell you about my friend."

Dawn looked from the open hand to the unreadable eyes that, despite the smile the large man was maintaining, had never stopped their keen observing. It made her nervous, kept her on her toes, and yet... such a powerful presence was undeniably compelling.

She reached out and allowed the much bigger hand to close around hers.

The resulting burst of dread nearly made her scream.

The lifelong nightmares haunting her, the inexplicable fear and paranoia she could never shake completely off, the oppressive horror she had experienced earlier that day, all of it came back in one bone-chilling flash. For a brief, delusional moment, she even imagined seeing a purple glow surrounding the seated man.

Dawn yanked her hand back and pushed herself away from the table, shaken to the core. The white-haired man's brows lifted to question the sudden change, but she could only stare at him, eyes wide and panting, before all but running for the door, forgetting the easygoing duo, her bag and coat, everything but the darkness right on her heels.

* * *

"That was abrupt", Knock Out stared after the fleeing human. "And we were doing such a good job keeping her away from those lurking Autobots. I think she was even starting to trust us."

"Yeah", Breakdown agreed. "I don't get it. What spooked her like that?"

Megatron looked down to the small table. "She's hiding something."

"Or she just doesn't have all the wires in her head connected right", Knock Out shrugged. "You never know with these erratic creatures."

Megatron said nothing, gesturing to the table with his hand. The medic and his assistant shared bewildered looks as they saw what the warlord was showing them.

Deep, finger-shaped dents on the surface of the round metal table, just the right size for the human woman's hands.

"Human's aren't that strong, are they?" Knock Out questioned carefully.

"That will be your job to figure out once we have her in our possession", Megatron gruffed, standing up. "Get ready. Optimus will make his move soon."

"Great!" Breakdown slammed his fists together. "I've been aching for some action the whole time."

"Now, now", Knock Out reined the brawler's excitement in. "Don't get too carried away. We're not supposed to reveal ourselves to the humans yet."

"No", Megatron confirmed. "We are not. But that will not stop me from taking what I came for. If Optimus thinks he can interfere with my plans, he can just watch these humans pay the price for his mistake."

* * *

What was wrong with her!? No... no, no... It wasn't her. Someone or something was doing this to her, there was no other possibility. She wasn't crazy! Not that crazy. The agents at the hospital had done something to her, or...

Dawn bumped into someone, hearing a dissatisfied 'watch it!', and continued her blind escape through the dimly lit corridor, barely able to keep from breaking into a full run. Where was she even going...? Nadia... why hadn't she phoned Nadia in the first place...

Fumbling to fish the phone from her pocket, Dawn bumped into someone again, trying to slip past them with a reflexive apology. To her surprise, that someone grabbed her by the arms and started pushing her roughly to another direction.

The painfully tight grip and the sudden fright only heightened her already spiking adrenaline rush. She was backed into a wall, immediately exploding into furious twisting and clawing to free herself. The stranger overpowered her, however, keeping her still easily.

"I appreciate the fighting spirit, but you're fighting the wrong guy. Now listen and listen well, 'cause you've fallen in with a crowd that can get you into trouble you don't even want to imagine."

Dawn seized her struggling, though her pulse was still speeding after two major scares in a row, and looked at her assailant. The guy holding her in place was slightly shorter than her, but his bare arms were sinewy and Dawn could feel the power in the hold he had on her. Combining the obvious physical strength with a scruffy appearance and a crazy intense look in the guy's piercing blue eyes, she didn't need anyone to tell her she was already in trouble.

"No", she shook her head decisively, still scared, but more fed up with yet another shady character appearing to ruin what was left of her sanity. "I'm done with crazy bullshit for the night. For the rest of my life in fact. Whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it."

The blue-eyed thug leaned in, close enough for Dawn to be able to count the individual hairs on his stubble, and feel the warm breath on her face, which surprisingly didn't reek of alcohol. "Sorry to break it to you, softy, but the crazy's just starting."

A blue glow lit up the piercing eyes, making Dawn's jaw drop in disbelief.

"Ready to listen now?"

"Great first impression, Wheeljack. Who could've guessed bringing a wrecker into a delicate situation would be a bad idea."

The strange man, or whatever the hell he was, pulled his head back and Dawn saw the blue-haired woman from earlier standing in the corridor with arms crossed over her chest. "Who... who are you...? Your eyes..."

"Long story", the man called Wheeljack released her, leaving behind sore throbbing in Dawn's arms. "Longer than your entire civilization. Let's go."

"Go?" Dawn stepped rigidly away from the two, following the wall with her hand. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Trust me, it's for your own good."

The crude man reached for her arm again. Dawn was just about to start screaming for help, when she saw the empty space behind the small woman suddenly filled by an enormous and immediately recognizable, white-haired figure. She lost her breath. How...?! He had _not_ just appeared out of thin air...

The woman noticed the shadow looming over her and spun around, but not fast enough. Large fingers closed around her throat and lifted her up like she weighed nothing. Wheeljack turned around too, forgetting about Dawn. She watched horrified as the enormous man squeezed, and...

The woman disappeared.

What?!

"I didn't think I'd get the pleasure of putting a few new dents in the big, bad boss himself", Wheeljack left Dawn behind and stepped confidently towards the bigger man, seemingly unaffected by the woman's disappearance. "That ugly mug of yours could use a little work."

"Bold words, Autobot", the broad-shouldered man spoke way too calmly for someone who had just tried to break another person's neck. "Considering all the innocent lives that might become collateral damage should you start a fight."

"What's the matter? Afraid you'd lose without dirty tricks? Come on, let's step outside and settle this, one on one."

"Stand down, Wheeljack!"

A deep, rumbling voice stopped the banter. Dawn turned her head to see the speaker, feeling more unreal by the second. It was as if she was watching the craziest play ever with over the top characters constantly popping in and out while comically mismatched dance music vibrated in the background. This time the stage was taken by a cowboy, a red checkered shirt and a stetson wearing man with a short brown beard, towering nearly as high as the white-haired one.

"Optimus..." the colossal man welcomed the newcomer with no hint of uncertainty or annoyance for the interruption. "You took longer than expected to show up."

Dawn struggled to think. This was the old friend he had been talking about? Who he had said he'd kill. The joke was even less funny now.

"Have you remained unharmed?"

Dawn stared dumbfounded at the tall cowboy talking to her, surprised to hear someone suddenly inquiring her well being. Wasn't it obvious that the world had gone crazy and that she was in no way fine with it?

Unable to force herself out of her stunned silence, she nodded nevertheless.

The man looked relieved, blue eyes glancing at the scruffy tough guy who still looked more than ready for a fight. "Thank you, Wheeljack. Regroup with the others."

"Tch...Just let me know when the talking bit's done", the shorter man grumbled and disappeared the same way the woman had done.

The bearded man's expression and voice hardened as he turned his attention to his 'friend'. "Leave, Megatron. This human is under our protection."

"Oh, don't act so high and mighty", the white-haired giant growled, splaying his thick arms theatrically. "And what would you do with her? Pass on the opportunity to perhaps find a new weapon and improve the chances of survival for your pathetic little resistance?"

"We do not harm humans", the deep-voiced man spoke with conviction. "What you're doing doesn't even make sense. Do you really believe her to be the bearer of some great weapon? Her own people already examined her and found nothing. You would torment her for no reason."

Dawn's confusion kept growing. What were they talking about?! Resistance? Weapons? Protecting... humans?

"As always, Prime, your lecturing is already starting to bore me."

"Then for the last time I will appeal to you. Let her continue her life undisturbed. You don't need anything from her."

"That compassion is why you're losing this war. Rest assured such weaknesses won't keep me from taking what I want."

Dawn's heart skipped a beat as the suddenly terrifying man turned his sharp gaze back to her with adamant intent, closing the distance between them with a couple of long strides. Dawn shrunk against the wall as his large hand rose to latch onto her, stopped suddenly by another hand grasping the white-haired man's arm.

"I won't let you", the bearded cowboy had jumped in, eyes flashing with anger.

"You will if you want the other humans here to survive."

It finally hit Dawn. This was about survival. Life and death.

Her feet remembered their purpose and she bolted, diving past both large men and running for her life, which for some inexplicable reason was in jeopardy. A couple of dumbfounded young men stood gaping further down the corridor, no doubt having witnessed the same scene as her, and, judging by the looks on their faces, understanding as little about it as she did. They couldn't help her. She didn't think anyone could.

The dancing and drinking continued just the same at the front of the bar as Dawn passed the dance floor and tore the front door open, rushing out into the dark night. The pulsating music and lights, along with the impossible things she had seen, were left behind, feeling immediately even more unreal. She didn't stop running. She wanted to get as far away as possible before she could actually process everything that had just happened. Whether it really had happened.

Running across the scarcely occupied parking lot, Dawn made a fleetingly passing notion of an expensive looking red car, but couldn't right then bring to mind why it was supposed to mean something to her. She reached the silent streets, following the walkway while trying desperately to think. The neighborhood was too quiet. Mainly empty construction sites waiting for someone to bring life back to them. She couldn't exactly stop and wait for a bus on the side of the road. She needed to get out of sight, but the area was too open, too exposed. Dawn began leaning on hiding on one of the construction sites.

The revving of a powerful engine made her freeze in her tracks. She turned to see the red sports car speeding from the parking lot and towards her. Dawn's blood ran cold with brutal realization. There was nowhere to run, she couldn't...

Before she could even try to get out of the way, something happened.

Her initial thought was that she was seeing the car breaking and coming apart on the road, but she had to quickly correct that assumption as the shifting parts formed a new shape.

A shape that froze her in place and took her breath away.

Two red rings for eyes watched her from a giant, humanoid like body. A... a body that had just been a car...

A smug grin spread across the metal features.

"Told you it would be like nothing you've seen before."


	4. Robot rumble

Participated in a local writing contest, which kept me from fanfiction for a while, but now I'm ready for action again!

 **TheManyFacesOfAnon:** You alright in there? xD

 **shizzlethis1:** Thank you! I hope this lives up to your expectations. :)

 **vampgirliegirl:** O_o ?

 **Guardinthena:** What can I say? Thank you thank you thank you! :D I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the last chapter. And, no, I actually did not binge watch TFP before writing. Thank you though for thinking that. xD I guess their way of interacting with each other is just ingrained into my mess of a brain at this point. I'm afraid Dawn's reaction to Megatron's holomatter avatar might've suffered quite a heavy influence from my own thinking. xP It might be difficult not to fall into my usual ways of writing Dawn and Megatron. The unhealthy ways... We'll just have to see what happens. x)

* * *

Slowly the smug expression and sly voice connected the dots for Dawn, making her face turn pale.

"You're... you can't be... K-Knock Out?"

"In the metal", the red sports car raised his hand to his chest and gave a mocking bow. "You know, most people start running _after_ seeing our true form. You jumped the gun there."

Dawn backed away slowly, surprised that her shaky feet carried her at all. Heavy steps treaded the concrete as the metal giant trailed her unhurriedly. "I don't mind, though. Makes the game more fun."

Dawn could do little more than stare up at the mechanical being, feeling like a crippled hare in front of a hungry fox. The look on the impish face changed to show light disapproval.

"What are you waiting for? By all means, run! You just might manage to slip away, considering how small you human critters are."

When Dawn still couldn't make a move to escape, the metal giant sighed in disappointment. "No? Well, if you insist on making this easier than it needs to be..."

Too late Dawn's instincts kicked in, making her stumble back in an effort to escape. Long, sharp-tipped fingers reached down and closed around her middle, lifting her from the ground and in front of the red, gloating eyes.

"... I'll just have to have my fun with you when we get back to the lab."

"Think again, Con."

A gleam of sharp metal drew Dawn's attention away from the devious robot and to what looked very much like a sword held up next to his head.

"Put the human down and drive away, and you might get to keep that flashy finish of yours."

"Oh? I have a better idea."

The metal fingers squeezed and Dawn cried out, trying futilely to loosen the crushing hold that seemed intent on grinding her bones to dust.

"So wrecker, how do you want this to go? Either I take her with me, or I spill her insides right here before handing her over to you, which, fair warning, might get a little messy. Your call."

Dawn groaned as the pressure and pain grew near unbearable. No more... Something... would break...

"Sorry, negotiating isn't my forte."

A jagged screech pierced Dawn's ears as another sword thrust from the side, leaving a long cut on Knock Out's door-looking arm. The pointed digits lost their grip and Dawn felt the sudden, stomach-twisting sensation of falling.

"My paintj...!"

The fall ended abruptly in another, semi-crushing hold, followed by a dizzying movement as Dawn's catcher spun to deliver a resounding kick to the red car-robot, sending him flying back.

"You _really_ should've listened, softy."

By then Dawn had guessed who the second robot was too. Gasping for air while trying not to vomit, she stared at the intricately patterned, glowing eyes that had startled her inside the bar. With a fluent swing of his arm, Wheeljack returned his sword to its sheath on his back and bent down to pick up the one he had dropped while catching her. As Dawn still struggled to wrap her head around the concept of giant robots turning into cars and having swordfights, Wheeljack turned at the sound of a new, quickly approaching threat.

"Sorry. Looks like there's no time to make a getaway."

Somehow the sword-wielder's apology sounded less than sincere, maybe having something to do with the enthusiastic glow in his eyes as he lifted his sword to meet what looked like a blue, armored car charging their way. Dawn tensed in horrified anticipation, wanting no part in the rumble that was about to commence. How was she supposed to win here, with one side sadistically malicious and the other recklessly crazy?!

In the nick of time, the masked robot glanced to the side and swung his arm, to Dawn's absolute horror, throwing her into the air. Had she had enough air in her lungs, she would have screamed the whole way.

Yet another pair of hands caught her in a rough landing. This time it was a red metal giant with horns on his head.

"Whew, gotcha! Good thing I've played my fair share of lobbing."

The voice held a friendly, upbeat tone, which didn't suit Dawn's panicked state at all.

"P-put me down!"

A heavy thunder of metal clashing against metal drowned out the last word, but the horned robot guessed what she wanted and shook his head, glancing around them.

"That's not a good idea right now."

"I don't care!" Dawn snapped, trying to scramble off from the shallowly cupped hands. Giant fingers pushed her carefully back and a sympathetic face came to loom in front of her.

"Look. I know you're scared right now, and that's a very healthy approach to large mechs fighting over you, but right now you need to sit tight and let me get you out of here, 'cause otherwise this fight will soon spread, and that's not good news for the people in this town."

They might've been sensible words, but Dawn was in no condition to hear them. The once sensible world was now something completely mad and completely out of her control. She just wanted away from it all!

"I- I can't...! I don't want any of this! Let me go!"

She made another attempt at dropping down to the ground, this time barely caught before falling.

"Oh scrap...!"

Without a warning, the horned giant changed his mind and Dawn was shoved hastily down, scraping her hands raw on the concrete as she stumbled. An earsplitting collision next to her made the ground tremor as, to Dawn's limitless disbelief, a fighter jet flew in and rammed into the horned robot, taking him down hard.

It was insanity and it didn't end. Heavy steps struck the ground in rapid succession, closing in on Dawn, who saw with a start that Knock Out had recovered and clearly planned to use the opportunity to snatch her while the others were busy fighting.

A blue motorcycle skidded out of nowhere, taking the red robot's legs from under him and making him fall before reaching Dawn.

All around her, sparks flew as the metal titans kept bashing each other, breaking concrete and bending light posts with the force and weight of their movements. Dawn didn't know where to go anymore. Everywhere was dangerous, every move she made seemed to summon another robot into the already destructive mix. She couldn't even be sure she wouldn't get trampled if she remained where she was.

When the blaring sound of a horn joined in and a large semi-truck drove to the scene, Dawn was ready to give up to the madness. Maybe she really had lost it, and nothing she was seeing was really happening. Still, the incessantly burning scrapes in her hands, the deafening noises and the tremors vibrating through her bruised body kept her in the belief that what she was experiencing was indeed some twisted form of reality.

Knock Out and his accomplices withdrew as the truck drew closer and transformed into the biggest robot Dawn had yet seen.

Until an even bigger, silvery one dropped down from the skies with a groundbreaking boom.

The battle seized altogether. Dawn could see the clear lines being drawn, Knock Out and others coming to stand behind the spiky-shouldered, silvery giant, and their adversaries forming a line alongside the red and blue robot who still had the easily identifiable features of a truck with the windshields covering his chest and the smoke stacks rising from behind his back. From the raised weapons and the way everyone glared at each other, it was clear they would've liked nothing more than to continue where they had left off.

And Dawn was standing in the middle of them.

She looked from side to side, eyes darting from one metal face to another. The purple glow in the silvery robots eyes made her flinch, bringing back the evil feeling that had struck her before. Metal or not, there was a gaze she recognized even before the giant among giants started speaking in a raspy voice.

"You certainly are making a big deal of one insignificant human, Optimus."

"This planet and its inhabitants are not for you to use as you please. Not any one of them", the red and blue leader reproached sternly, eyes narrowing as they inspected the silvery form more closely. "Megatron... What have you done to yourself?"

The scarred face twisted into an ominous grin, baring sharp teeth. "Patience, Prime. You'll find out eventually."

Dawn stopped listening to the words exchanged, her eyes drifting to the burly, blue robot next to Knock Out. Breakdown, she was sure. They had played her from the start, hadn't they? Their concern for her, the laughing and joking... all an act. Now she could see why they had been so persistent about wanting her to take a look at their 'car'.

Dawn couldn't stand to look at them anymore. She turned back to the heavily-built colossus, who had every bit of the imposing presence his human disguise had had, right down to the way of looking at others like they were too far beneath him to be recognized. He had barely glanced at Dawn after dropping in, aiming his focus on his rival.

"Hey! Dawn, was it?"

The feminine voice surprised Dawn, who had again started to feel like an outsider in the middle of a play rehearsal. When she looked back, a smaller, blue robot gestured for her to come to them.

"Don't be afraid. We're the good guys. Just come here and we'll get you to safety."

How did they know her name?

"Don't you know it's rude to cut in", Knock Out countered from the other side, voice dripping with self-satisfaction. "The human was having fun with us until you intervened."

A spark of anger ignited inside Dawn. She was surprised she was even able to feel it, being as terrified as she was, but there it was, like a stinging thorn prompting her to do something about it.

"Go to hell, you smug bastard!"

Rows of glowing eyes focused on her, expressions varying from pitying to disdainful to amused. Dawn tried her best not to show how nervously her heart was racing or how weak at the knees the attention was making her. She felt miserably small and powerless in front of the towering metal giants. The sickening helplessness only drove her desperation to stand her ground more firmly.

"Whatever you're looking for, I don't have it! Fight it out all you want! I'm not going anywhere with any of you!"

The defiant statement left a moment of perplexed silence, filled quickly by a round of mocking laughter from the bad guy side. Dawn's stomach twisted unpleasantly, as it became apparent there was nothing she could say that would make a difference.

"I'd reconsider that if I were you", the gruff sword-wielder suggested. "Scrap, I don't get what the problem is. You wanna live or die painfully? Shouldn't be too hard a decision."

"Why don't you Autobots drive back under whatever rock it is you crawled out of. You heard her. The human doesn't even want your protection."

Dawn had to take a closer, befuddled look when she recognized the lean, winged speaker's voice. Wasn't that the ridiculous disco...?"

"Why don't _you_ go take a nose dive into the nearest mountain."

"I probably would if I had your piece of scrap ship and flying skills."

"Badmouthing a wrecker's ship. That's gonna come back to bite you in the aft, Scream."

"Oh no, did I hurt your poor Autobot chum's feelings?"

"I vote we put them all out of their misery."

Boasts and insults bounced from side to side. Dawn shifted her focus to the leaders standing silently in the front. The large truck-robot looked troubled, as much as she could see with the mask covering most of his face. Metal brows furrowed over the blue glow of wavering eyes. A hint of a familiar, yet at the same time strange feeling brushed the far corners of Dawn's mind. She didn't care to ponder what caused it. The silvery leader looked anything but hesitant, keeping a steady gaze on his adversary.

It wasn't until Dawn's ears picked up the sound of frantic voices conversing that she realized they weren't alone. Looking back to the bar, she saw a crowd of people outside the front door, phones in their raised hands and apparently with not enough sense to realize they were all in danger.

"It seems we have gained quite an audience", Knock Out stated undisturbed. "I suppose Soundwave is already blocking their signals, though."

"This is no place to continue our petty bickering, Megatron", the red and blue robot seized the opportunity, his deep voice gaining a persuasive tone. "Surely you must see the need to..."

The silvery giant took one look at the small crowd and raised his arm, intensifying light and a high-pitched whirring emanating from the heavy weapon mounted on it.

It fired once.

The front of the bar exploded in a violent, white-hot burst.

As did the people standing in front of it.

Dawn couldn't breathe. She stared gaping at the destruction, at the charred pieces of unidentifiable debris falling around. The seared edges of the wire mesh fence surrounding the parking lot glowed red. Dawn still felt the remnants of the explosion's heatwave on her skin. Someone's agonized voice howled from inside the half-collapsed building.

How... could they...?

"NO! Megatron, they were...!"

"I told you, didn't I Prime? Stand in my way and the humans will pay the price. I have no patience for your indecisiveness. Especially when you've already lost."

"It's Laserbeak!"

"Look out!"

A loud, electric bang made Dawn flinch, snapping her out of her shock and prying her eyes away from the destroyed building and to the commotion that had broken out.

The self-proclaimed good guys were aiming their cannon arms at the night sky, shooting repeatedly at something. Dawn watched the lines of quickly distancing lights, seeing them fly past a dark and fast-approaching form. A small plane or a drone. Whatever it was, it was diving too fast and too low near the buildings for the robots to keep firing.

And it was coming right towards her.

From the corner of her eye Dawn could see the blue robot break into a run, turning swiftly into a motorcycle and racing the drone to get to her first. It was clear she wouldn't win.

The hopelessness and injustice of it all, the pain, fear and anger... especially anger... compressed into a single focal point in Dawn's mind. As her eyes squeezed shut and her hands rose to protect herself from the inevitable, she felt nothing but a burning desire to tear the metal-plated monsters to pieces for what they had done.

A sudden image flashed in Dawn's overwrought mind. A discolored version of the drone.

She heard the sound of groaning metal.

Before Dawn's thoughts could catch up to what was happening, something struck against her, not solid, but what felt like a warm liquid. It showered her hands and clothes in a heavy gush, followed immediately by simultaneous crashes on her left and right sides.

Dawn's eyes shot wide open. She looked to her side, then to the other, staring in disbelief at the bleeding, twitching halves of the downed drone, which was now torn roughly in two from head to rear. She looked at her hands, which were splattered with the same blue, oily liquid the destroyed machine was. Her clothes were drenched in it. Lifting her head, she found a frozen scene of faces just as shocked as hers.

It... hadn't been their doing, had it...?

The blue motorcycle had stopped too and changed back to her humanoid form, staring at her with everyone else. No one said anything.

A sharp clank from the rooftop of an old apartment building disturbed the stunned silence, drawing Dawn's glazed eyes up. Something big moved in the darkness. As she watched, a larger plane with the same dark color as the drone, left the roof, changing into a robot in mid-flight and dropping from the sky next to the silvery giant.

Dawn couldn't see any eyes with the black visor covering the foreboding figure's face, but there was no doubt about where his attention was. Taking a step forward, the gray and purple robot raised his flat, wing-looking arm towards the wreckage. There was something almost desperate in the quiet gesture. Dawn thought she could see the abnormally long and slender fingers shaking slightly. The silent robot curled them slowly into a fist and lowered his arm back to his side.

"Ooh, scrap..." Knock Out's voice muttered in the background. For once it didn't hold its usual smugness.

Dawn looked back to her own trembling hands. What had just happened? She had seen the drone with her eyes closed. Even now she felt something. The change. The world felt different. Or her. She wasn't sure which.

When she looked up again, her gaze went straight to the silvery giant. The purple fire blazed in the keen eyes, even more intensely than before. The sharp teeth that had flashed during his earlier grin, were now bared in a predatory grimace.

"Retrieve that human at any cost."

The hoarse, cold words ended the shocked silence, making Dawn's skin crawl and filling her with nauseating fear. Around her, several voices began yelling all at once, blending into an incoherent cacophony. They were going to fight again, bring down more buildings, take more lives...

No!

Dawn could feel it rising again. The power she had just now glimpsed. It had originated from her, there was no doubt about it anymore.

And she knew how to make it happen again.

This time it shot outwards from her extended hands in a powerful pressure wave, colliding into both groups and sending them flying back. As the crashing and screeching died down, Dawn felt lightheaded and her heart thrummed like crazy.

And one of the robots was still standing.

Dawn stared at the broad-shouldered, red and blue giant who looked around at his fallen comrades and enemies in stunned disbelief. She couldn't fathom how he could've remained unaffected when everyone else around him had been struck back. Even the light posts and traffic signs near them had been knocked over, leaving their stretch of the street in the dark.

The blue gaze turned to her, thick metal brows raised in surprise, fear, appall, Dawn didn't know what to make of it. She felt the strange feeling again, and it was more than familiarity. It was a pull in her very soul.

She didn't like it.

From the silence, a gurgling engine revved, making Dawn jump and spin around. A motorcycle sped from around a corner, but this time one that she immediately recognized, even before the driver raised her gloved hand for a quick salute.

Nadia!

Dawn's initial joy turned into instantaneous fear as she watched her roommate and friend drive into the middle of the battle zone, threading her way around the giant metal bodies and holes on the road.

What was she thinking, risking herself like that?!

"What are you doing here?!" Dawn breathed as soon as the woman reached her and skidded to a stop. " Not that I'm not glad to see you and that old rust bucket of yours, but this... Nadia, these things are killing people! You shouldn't have come."

She glanced around them anxiously, expecting someone to jump them at any second, but everyone else was still down and the red and blue robot hadn't made a move.

"First..." Nadia's deep, melodic voice began from the confines of her black and white helmet, calmly, as if she was picking her up from work and not from a battlefield teeming with deadly robots. "Jupiter has been my closest confidant long before I came to America, please stop insulting her. Second..."

Dawn grasped onto the spare helmet placed into her hands.

"I worried when you didn't reply to my message. I always do. Now let's go."

"Wait!"

A rumbling baritone interrupted them hastily. Dawn looked up to see the red and blue giant stepping closer, and tensed immediately, ready to defend both herself and her friend any way she could. Noticing her reaction, the metal being stopped however, and eased himself down on one knee.

"Please..." the mask receded from the large robot's face, revealing smooth metal features underneath, very human-like, except for the obvious lack of nose. "Even if you were to leave now, it would not grant you safety for long. I implore you to follow us to our base of operations and hear what we have to say. You have my word no harm will befall either of you."

Dawn shook her head, knowing better than ever not to trust courteous manners and seemingly good intentions. "Like it shouldn't have happened to those people in the bar."

The truck-robot lost his words in front of her accusation, glowing eyes dodging hers for a moment before returning with visible pain and regret. "I... apologize for my inability to protect them. They should have never been dragged into a war that doesn't concern them. You neither, and I..."

The sentence stopped there as the red and blue giant hesitated, finally opening his mouth to say something completely different. "Why is it that...? Something about you seems familiar, but I can't understand how that could be possible."

Dawn could only stare up in surprise at the bemused look on the metal-plated face. He felt it too?

"Dawn..." Nadia spoke a low warning, gesturing with her head to the other robots, who were starting to come to. "We need to go now."

Dawn knew she was right. She put the helmet on and threw her leg over the motorcycle's seat. As she wrapped her arms around Nadia's waist, she turned to look back towards the still kneeling robot.

"Nobody better follow me if they don't want to get hurt."

The bike jerked into motion, accelerating fast and loudly. Dawn usually tried to avoid having to bum a lift from Nadia, finding the ride on the old bike too suspenseful for her nerves. Not this time, though. Had she dared to close her eyes, she might've felt like the world was sliding back to its normal place again. If it was possible anymore.

"Did you remember to feed Bigwig before coming to my rescue?!"

"Yes! You really should make changes in his diet, he's getting fat!"

Back to normal. Back to normal. Things like morning coffee, running to catch the bus to work, getting clawed by a pompous cat who thinks the world's most important task is to scratch his belly at 3 am... No screaming people, gigantic robots or supernatural powers.

Now if only trouble would be kind enough not to follow them.

* * *

"Soundwave!"

The silent mech pushed himself back to his feet, ignoring his internal damage reports and instead trying to connect with his Mini-con again. He could find no signal from Laserbeak.

"You have your orders", Megatron's voice growled next to him. The warlord placed his large hand on Soundwave's shoulder, the slight softening of his tone perceptible only to the spymaster's keen sensors. "Knock Out will see to Laserbeak."

Soundwave spared one last glance to the broken remains of his Mini-con before transforming and taking flight.

* * *

" _Optimus, what happened?! Save for you, everyone's vitals just fluctuated simultaneously! Is anyone seriously hurt?"_

The Autobot leader nearly missed the question, just seeing Megatron send Soundwave after the two humans. "I... I'm not sure yet, old friend. But I'm afraid our mission is jeopardized by unexpected complications."

" _I'm opening the groundbridge and sending backup."_

A quick scan of the area showed that the other Decepticons were still down, though Megatron was already barking orders at them to get up. Optimus turned to examine his own team members, seeing everyone except Arcee moving. Fear grasped his spark and prompted him to rush to the unconscious femme, who already had Cliffjumper by her side. She possessed the lightest build and had been closest to the unexpected attack.

As he scooped the limply laying femme up, the green and blue swirls of a groundbridge lit up the darkened street, bringing forth their young scout. Optimus could see the worry in Bumblebee's large optics as he ran towards them, Bulkhead following close behind.

"Do not fight them", he instructed as soon as he saw Bulkhead glaring at Breakdown. "Help everyone back to the base."

"What about the human?"

Optimus turned to Wheeljack, who was limping towards them somberly and gesturing down the road with his thumb. "She's got Soundwave on her tail and I don't think the creepy Con is too happy with what she did to his Mini-con. There's no way she'll get away."

"She was exposed to a considerable amount of energon, Ratchet should be able to track its signature and provide me with her location. Hopefully before the exposure affects her."

The Autobot leader passed the injured femme over to Bulkhead and turned to leave, halted by Bumblebee's heated objection. Before he could stop him, the yellow mech had transformed and sped away to the direction Wheeljack had pointed to.

" _Optimus, Bumblebee is right. You're too big to be racing in city streets. He can handle this for now. We'll aid him right after everyone else's safety is ensured."_

"I'll go too!" Cliffjumper announced, but this time Optimus was faster and latched his hand on the impulsive mech's shoulder.

"No. Return to the base and have Ratchet examine you first."

"I'm fine, Prime! Ow...! Okay mostly fine. But if we don't help, Bee might lose the girl!"

"Or get himself ripped apart too", Wheeljack added sourly. "When I asked what about the human, I didn't mean how do we help her. I meant _should_ we help her? Take a look at what happened to Laserbeak. Arcee was close, it could've just as easily been her. Do you think it's worth the risk? I say we let the cons deal with her. Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll finish them all off for us."

"Come on, Wheeljack! She was scared, for frag's sake! I don't know how she did what she did, but I sure as Pit can understand why!"

Optimus had already been considering the dangers, though he still didn't agree with Wheeljack's argument about leaving the human to the Decepticons. He, too, worried for Bumblebee's safety. Right then the human must've felt she was surrounded by enemies. She would most likely react hostilely to any attempts at approaching her. For some reason she hadn't attacked him, however. Whether it was by choice or accidental, Optimus felt he needed to be the one to approach her. Until then, they would need to make sure their brave scout kept his distance.

"Hey, guys..." Bulkhead's low voice cut in. "The cons are looking this way like they're searching for dance partners."

"Retreat", Optimus gave the order, staying behind until everyone else had gone through the groundbridge. Further along the destroyed road, Megatron stood tall, watching them as the light of their own activating groundbridge illuminated his harsh features. One final glance at the warlord's burning optics revealed what Optimus had feared.

Now Megatron would never give up on finding the human.


	5. Need for speedy learning

Nothing like a good old, chaotic chase scene.

 **Laurenthalas:** Exactly what I was thinking! Can't get Pharma out of my head ever again. xP

 **Quickening:** Thank you very much! I guess Dawn has evolved from those random little things into a more fleshed out character in my mind (though I'm still going to continue making oneshots too as I enjoy writing them way too much).

 **Guardinthena:** I know, right? xD We're both using that lengthways joke every chance we get.

You know, sometimes as I write, I do hear the characters' voices in my head, and that's exactly when I know I'm making them say the right things. :D I'm glad the voices carry over to the reader's end too. x)

Oh, it wasn't really that Optimus was appalled and fearful and all that, it was mainly Dawn interpreting the look in his optics as something like that. But of course the big O was shocked and surprised about something like that happening out of the blue.

And yes, Nadia... come on, I gotta keep at least one thing a secret from you. ;)

 **vampgirliegirl:** Don't 'poor Dawn' yet, we're just getting started. XD

* * *

"What in Lady Liberty's name happened out there, Prime?! I specifically said no giant robot death matches, and judging by the dings your team is coming back with, you weren't exactly holding hands and singing Kumbaya with the Decepticons!"

Optimus heard the accusing voice up from the steel walkway before he had even stepped out of the groundbridge. At the risk of further angering the glaring human, the Autobot leader ignored him for a moment to check everyone's status. Ratchet was already starting a scan on Arcee with Cliffjumper hovering restlessly over the medical slab on the other side. Bulkhead had taken Ratchet's place at operating the groundbridge, and shut it down as soon as Optimus had stepped through. Ever the solitary individual, Wheeljack had distanced himself from the others and taken a seat, pulling his sword out to examine the blade. The base's modified computers already displayed a blinking light moving on a map, undoubtedly the energon signature they needed to track the human.

Optimus opened a comm. link to contact their youngest team member. "I do not approve of your hasty decision, Bumblebee, but as you are on your way now, I urge you to proceed with caution. The human has unexpected and... destructive abilities she can utilize from a distance. Contact me as soon as you have a visual and I'll join you."

"Prime!"

"Agent Fowler", the Autobot leader approached the steel walkway, finally acknowledging their disgruntled human liaison. "I assure you, our intentions were not to engage in battle, but the situation developed beyond any other means."

"What's the damage?" the special agent demanded, brows furrowed. "And I don't mean your team."

There was no getting around the magnitude of their failure. Optimus told the truth with a heavy spark. "Several human casualties. And the establishment they were in."

The announcement froze the man's features momentarily into stunned shock, which was quickly replaced by a hardened scowl as he uncovered a communicator from his pocket and lifted it to his ear, speaking only a single sentence. "Send the salvage team."

With that, he put the device back and returned his attention to Optimus, voice low and unusually collected. "Do you know what the problem here is?"

"Ooh, ask me", Bulkhead muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. "I can name one."

Fowler didn't let the interruption steer him off from what he had to say.

" _You_ might be on the same page in the book of valuing human life, but that doesn't apply to the rest of your team. Ever since you got here, I have time and time again seen them exhibit gross negligence of public safety, rather spending their time running after the Decepticons than following orders. And the bill for their recklessness is sooner or later gonna come back to you."

"I hear what you're saying, agent Fowler", Optimus took the man's concern seriously, understanding it all too well. "And I will address the matter as soon as our current situation is resolved. Right now, however, our top priority should be to ensure no more innocent lives are put in harm's way."

The agent looked anything but happy, but left it at that, turning towards the computer display, where the blinking light had stopped. "So what about the girl and her abilities? Is she secretly a master gunslinger or something?"

"I'd appreciate a more detailed description of what happened as well", Ratchet's somber voice came from Arcee's side, where he had finished his inspection. "This is some heavy blunt trauma. A number of energon lines have ruptured and there's widespread damage to the internal systems. Nothing life-threatening. I can fix most of it, put healing is nevertheless going to take time. So, how did this happen?"

"It's easy to tell, harder to explain", Cliffjumper answered for Optimus, splaying his arms in a clueless gesture and stifling a pained grunt as his damaged shoulder joint disagreed with him. "That girl kicked everyone's aft with some invisible power. After splitting Laserbeak in half."

"What?!" Ratchet's optic brows shot up before forming a disbelieving frown. "We're talking about the human you went to retrieve? A tiny, squishy human?"

"Ask Optimus if you don't believe me. It was strange, I tell you. She just raised her hands and everyone went down. If she was one of us, I'd say she's an outlier. Scrap, what do I know, maybe humans have outliers too."

Ratchet's optics went to Optimus for confirmation. The Autobot leader nodded. "It seemed to affect everyone else but myself."

"Why not you?"

"That I cannot say. I wasn't any further than the others, yet I experienced no push. More like..."

Ratchet picked up on the hesitance, sharp optics flashing towards him even in the middle of treating the injured femme. "What? Optimus..."

The Autobot leader had almost confessed to having felt more like a pull in his spark, but thought better of it, knowing there was no way to explain it to the medic without making him worry. He couldn't quite connect it to any previous experience, yet it had felt as familiar as the Matrix he carried in his chest compartment. Such a mystery wasn't something he wanted to burden his long-time friend with when that friend was already overworking himself.

"Later, Ratchet. Bumblebee should..."

"We're monitoring Bumblebee's vitals and he can contact us if he gets into trouble. We can spare a few minutes for this. First you need to convince me the human isn't going to pose a threat to anyone if she's brought here. Then you're going to convince me you're functioning normally."

Optimus considered the former, digging his memory unit for the details of their brief encounters. He had seen fear and confusion, hurt and defiance... but actual want to destroy them? No, he didn't believe that. He suspected even the incident with Laserbeak had been unintentional.

"It is my belief she intends us no harm."

"Based on what reasoning exactly?" Wheeljack challenged over his shoulder, not bothering to hide his disdain. "I heard her last words to you. Didn't sound like unharmful intentions to me."

Optimus couldn't counter his argument.

"Optimus..." Ratchet pressed again, this time more directly. "I think it would be better I give you a check-up too."

"Um..." Bulkhead's deep, troubled voice interrupted. The stout wrecker stepped closer to the computer's display and stared at the map. "Wasn't there supposed to be only one energon signal to follow?"

Optimus turned his optics to the display, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of his fuel pump as he spotted two blinking lights close to each other. Someone was bleeding energon.

* * *

Their peace lasted about thirty seconds.

"For the record, Nadia...!" Dawn shouted over the combined noise of the rushing wind and the engine buzzing beneath them. "Don't ever do something this dangerous again! That was a situation of life and death!"

"Not my first time!" the older woman turned her head to reply and fired her own question. "When did you learn to generate pressure waves with your hands?!"

"I... No! What?! What do you mean not your first time?!"

"I was part of a freedom movement before I had to flee!"

"You...?! Nadia, you realize we've been living together nearly six years! And I'm hearing about this now!"

Just as Dawn was trying to decide how to react to the sudden revelation, a vague feeling stirred in the back of her mind, making her look back. The borrowed helmet restricted her field of vision, but she could see that the road behind them was still devoid of other drivers. The feeling persisted. Dawn closed her eyes, acting more on an instinctual compulsion than actually knowing what she was doing.

Shapes began flowing into and out of her mind just as the landscape would've normally shifted as they moved. Easily identifiable shapes, lampposts, traffic signs, trashcans, and other, more obscure things like pipes, girders and such. Different tones of silver and gray, tinted with livelier colors, lit the void behind her closed eyes. And it wasn't just in front of her, but above and below their street level and further than the surrounding buildings. As if she was suddenly floating in a space with no barriers.

Dawn turned her closed eyes down, seeing the motorcycle underneath them. Most of it at least. She looked higher, not seeing Nadia in front of her, only the zipper and some other details in her leather jacket, and the small, round shape of the ring she always wore in her index finger.

She could see metal with her eyes closed.

The realization was stunning. She could even see them through walls and other obstacles. When she tried to focus on the feeling that had disturbed her, she noticed her view expanding behind her, bringing forth objects that were simultaneously trying to distance themselves as they drove on. It was disorienting to say the least, but not what caught Dawn's attention. That prize went to the plane-shaped figure closing in on them above the rooftops.

Adrenaline returned to Dawn's veins with a rush. The plane shone white and light gray, sticking clearly out from the rest of the metal-filled void. She realized it looked the same as the drone when she had glimpsed it diving towards her.

"Nadia! Incoming above!"

The focused woman didn't question her warning. "Can you... ing of yours...?!"

"What?!"

The black and white helmet turned so Dawn could hear better.

"Can you take it down?!"

"I...! Uh..."

"Most of the traffic has been rerouted because of the construction sites, but we'll reach a busier street soon! Can you stop that thing here?!"

Dawn could hardly even get her brain to comprehend the situation, she couldn't fathom at all how Nadia was able to process it while driving. Could she do what she asked? She had some control over her crazy, new ability, but how much? It wasn't exactly an ideal situation to figure things out, either, speeding on an old motorcycle through the ghostly lit, wet streets while a flying killing machine was after them.

Just then an intense light nearly blinded them as a gigantic circle of white with green and blue swirls suddenly filled the road ahead of them. The motorcycle swerved onto the sidewalk, narrowly avoiding the spiraling lights as well as a fire hydrant.

"What was that?!" Dawn screamed as she clung to Nadia's jacket.

Then they were already making as sharp a turn around the corner as the machine under them allowed without falling over, and Nadia shouted back to her. "I need you to use that power right now!"

"What?!" Dawn's clueless eyes widened in realization as she saw that they were headed straight to a multi-storey parking garage and its lowered steel shutter door. "Wait! Oh crap!"

She let go with one hand and flung it forward with the same intent she had used to knock down the robots. The unknown power responded to her will and slammed into the door. It buckled like cardboard, falling back onto the concrete floor and opening a way for them. They dove inside, a sudden jerk to the side as they dodged something almost dropping Dawn from the seat. She fumbled for a better hold and looked in the side mirror, catching a glimpse of what Nadia must've seen too. A long, tentacle-like tube pulled back to the faceless form of a wing-armed robot crouching outside the low entrance.

Nadia didn't stop until they had gone up a ramp and into the floor above. There she put her foot down and let the motorcycle's aggressively buzzing engine quiet to a low rumble. Dawn's heart pounded in her chest, whole body waiting tensely for the pursuit to continue. Nadia raised the visor from her face, jade green eyes turning towards Dawn with unwavering determination.

"You need to take that thing out."

Dawn shook her head, more as a statement to their unbelievable situation than as a reply. Her earlier anger had mostly cooled down and been replaced by her usual restless need to flee when faced with nightmares, real or imaginary. The last thing she wanted was to fight.

"I... really don't know if I can."

"You can", Nadia assured firmly. "I've seen you give Bigwig a bath. If managing to do that isn't a mark of a fighter, I don't know what is. I'll drive, you hit that flying tin can as hard as you can. Easy."

"Yeah... You know, I... I think I can sense them..." Dawn started hesitantly and closed her eyes to try and do just that, immediately startled by a metal tentacle snaking through one of the wide holes in the wall. It lashed to strike at them again, but this time Dawn thrust her hand forward and repelled the dark, purple-lighted appendage, giving it a hard push that steered it clear from them and made it chip the concrete floor instead.

Nadia revved the engine, accelerating the motorcycle into motion again. "That's a start! Keep doing that!"

Dawn concentrated on sensing their pursuer. It wasn't easy. She had to keep her eyes closed to be able to 'see' metal, and it made her feel terribly vulnerable when she could see only fragments of their surroundings. The persistent robot followed them on the outside, attacking them again and again with the tentacle, even striking through solid walls to shower them with a hail of rubble. Dawn kept pushing it back, gathering confidence with every successful attempt.

She could actually do it. She could fight this thing!

"We're almost out!" Nadia's voice alerted Dawn to the fact that they had been heading back down and that they would soon reach the exit. "Get ready to clear the way!"

Dawn's newfound confidence faltered momentarily before solidifying again. "Gotcha!"

An idea came to her. She didn't know whether she could actually pull it off, but it seemed like worth a try.

They were down on the ground floor again. Dawn extended her hand towards a black minivan they passed by and focused hard on what she wanted to achieve. The car started sliding, following behind them. An exciting feeling of triumph washed over Dawn. She closed her eyes again to simultaneously try and inspect their surroundings, and managed to catch a brief vision of the bright, robot-shaped figure in the confusing metal void, waiting for them near what looked like the exit.

Something was different though, she noticed. There were now two tentacles. One raised above the lurking robot, ready to strike, one looking like it was burrowed under ground. Dawn didn't have time to warn Nadia.

She squeezed her legs tightly around the motorcycle's sides to keep herself from falling, and raised her other hand towards the closed shutter door in front of them. It flew out even more effortlessly than the first one had, as if every time she used her powers she was growing more powerful.

They charged back into the street, immediately seeing one metal tentacle diving at them from above. Dawn knew what was coming and lowered the hand that had broken the door, to do two things at the same time.

With the lowered hand, she sent a pulse to keep the underground trap from springing, and with the other, she flung the car she was dragging behind them towards the dark giant.

The black minivan flew into the air like catapulted, hitting its target and pushing the faceless robot back on his angular feet. Both tentacles withdrew. Dawn returned her hands around Nadia's waist, who turned the motorcycle to the opposite direction and accelerated, only to break immediately as another pool of ocean-like lights emerged right in front of them. Dawn raised her head as soon as the force of the sudden breaking eased, seeing they would have to slowly turn the bike and go around the glowing trap. She turned to look back.

The large robot was holding the car in front of him, long fingers scrunching the plating with frightening ease. Before Dawn could even think of her next move, the car was flung back, arching in the air and falling straight towards them.

She had no choice, but to stop it. She raised her hands, feeling the near tangible force that grasped the airborne vehicle. It stopped in midair as if having hit an invisible wall, and Dawn almost sighed in relief.

Until a tentacle snaked into view from behind the car.

Startled, she let the car drop, but the tentacle was already upon them, vicious claws in its end spread to catch her. Dawn expected to feel them clamp around her and cringed, surprised when instead of feeling the tentacle's hold around her, it coiled back.

On the other side of the minivan, a shorter yellow robot had jumped their faceless pursuer, rapid strikes working the metal frame and forcing the dark-plated creep to back down. Big mechanical eyes, glowing blue like with many of the others, glanced their way for just a second, widening when the second tentacle shot out of his opponent's middle. It struck the yellow robot in the chest, sending him flying back into a wall. Dawn could see splatters of the same blue substance she was covered in.

She looked away, squeezing Nadia's shoulders. "Go!"

The woman nodded, jerking suddenly as if startled by imminent danger. Dawn raised her hand back instinctively to fend off whatever was coming, but before she could do anything, something hard struck her, dropping her off the bike. Aching from one more bruise among the others, she turned to look up and saw a metal tentacle drag Nadia up in the air with it.

"NO!"

The motorcycle crashed to its side with no one holding it upright. Dawn jumped to her feet, tearing the restrictive helmet off her head. That bastard had targeted Nadia and not her. Why?

The faceless robot stood motionless and ominous in the middle of the road, hanging Nadia high in the air with the tentacle's claws wrapped around her middle. Dawn felt her stomach twist with fear as she realized that the hostage situation prevented her from attacking. What was she supposed to do now? The yellow robot had seized his attacks too, thankfully seeming like he didn't want to provoke his adversary into doing something irreversible.

The earlier confidence Dawn had managed to build up was gone. Something flashed in the black visor and in the next moment, a heavy step slammed into the asphalt behind Dawn, followed by others. She spun around to find five identical robots with red visors looming above her.

The pool of light might've been a portal...

Dawn didn't need to be told how this was supposed to go. One mechanical quintuplet bent down, reaching with a clawed hand to pick her up. Dawn tensed, unable to stop herself from taking a step back.

A sudden burst of light struck the large robot's arm, singeing the metal plating and making all five turn towards the shooter. The yellow robot rushed towards them, hands turned into blazing weapons. Clearly he had decided he wasn't going to let her be taken. Dawn ran out of the way into the sidewalk, staring at the robot street fight in horror.

No, no, this was making things worse! If this continued, Nadia...

"Run!"

Dawn spun back towards Nadia and her captor, barely hearing the urgent voice through the rumble and clanking the fighters were making. "Run and hide som...!"

The claws around the woman tightened their grip, rendering her unable to finish the sentence.

"No! Don't!" Dawn quickly raised her hands, not to attack, but to surrender. "I won't run! I promise! Just please, don't..."

She held her breath as the faceless robot raised his hand to slowly wrap his long, powerful fingers around Nadia's legs. He held them there, black visor focused towards Dawn. She didn't dare to move a muscle, filled with a sickening feeling that she was receiving a message she didn't understand.

"I'm right here", she tried to sound calm and reasoning despite her fast breathing and shaking hands. "You were told to get me, and I'll come peacefully. You don't need to hurt her."

The blank visor revealed nothing, prolonging her anxious wait for a moment longer.

Then the fingers squeezed.

Dawn's breath stuck to her throat as she heard her friend's agonized scream. The primal tone of the pain in her voice convinced her that the grip had broken bones.

"Why?!" Dawn screamed at the impassively standing, faceless figure, beyond angry and afraid. "I told you I wouldn't run!"

Somewhere in the distance there was a flash of light and rumble of approaching vehicles, but Dawn barely registered it in her shock. The dark robot turned his crowned head to glance back and the metal digits lowered from Nadia's lifelessly hanging legs. Dawn desperately hoped the woman was unconscious.

The faceless robot deployed the second tentacle to retrieve her.

Too bad for him Dawn didn't feel like coming peacefully anymore.

Thrusting her hands forward, she focused her hatred towards the tentacle holding Nadia. Metal tore in two with a sudden creaky snap, loose wires left draping over the broken edges of the flailing appendage. More of the blue blood or oil spilled on the pavement. Dawn lowered the end which still held Nadia quickly away from the malicious robot who had stepped back in what she hoped was nothing short of excruciating pain.

The surprise from her sudden attack, combined with the quickly approaching vehicles convinced the silent robot to leave his prey and change shape to fly up to the rooftops. Dawn didn't relax yet, turning her head frantically around in search of the next threat. The yellow robot was bleeding from his chest, but had won his fight. He kicked the last of his limply falling opponents back through the portal, fists raised and nimble feet dancing in expectancy of more. The portal vanished.

A familiar semi-truck and a green SUV pulled over, followed by the peculiar sound of metal parts shifting as they transformed back into robots. Dawn moved warily closer to Nadia's motionless form.

The red and blue giant emerged from his disguise, mechanical eyes above the closed mask looking up at the tentacled robot sharply. The large hands turned into cannons. Behind him a bulky, green robot glanced at her curiously for a moment before turning to look up too. Seeing their dangerous stalker couldn't attack freely anymore, Dawn didn't wait any longer to kneel beside Nadia and remove the helmet from her head. The badly injured woman was indeed unconscious, but still breathing, if raggedly.

"Hang on Nadia..." Dawn could barely even look at the clothing covering the damage, let alone touch the misshapen limbs. She couldn't even imagine the amount of pain... "Just... please hang on."

They needed an ambulance. But not while there were still giant robots duking it out in the middle of the street. Dawn rose to her feet again, glaring at the truck-robot furiously.

"I told you not to follow us, didn't I?!"

The yellow robot approached them, making nonsensical beeping sounds. Dawn whirled around, raising a hand towards him. "Don't come closer!"

* * *

Optimus felt his spark nearly freeze from the dangerously charged situation. Bumblebee didn't understand the danger he was in, even if his optics stole a curious glance at the torn feeler on the ground. Optimus wished he had contacted the base as he had been told, but it was a lecture for another time.

"Keep back, Bumblebee", he told his scout with an even tone. "You and Bulkhead keep an optic out for whatever tricks Soundwave might still have in reserve."

The young mech nodded, moving where he could see the roof better. Reluctantly the human lowered her hand and turned back to Optimus.

"Leave", her tone was commanding, but with a slight waver that projected uncertainty. "I'm calling an ambulance and I don't care who I have to tear in half to clear the street before it comes."

"Easy there, human", Bulkhead gave an annoyed sideways glance. "Glad to see our efforts are appreciated."

Optimus puzzled over how to diffuse the tension and get the human to understand the scale of danger she was in. He kept his distance and lowered himself to one knee again, this time not yet withdrawing his battle mask as he met the human's suspicious eyes.

"I'm afraid your general facilities won't do you any good. The Decepticons will have no trouble locating you and your friend, and they won't hesitate to go through anything or anyone to get to you. As you witnessed earlier."

The Autobot leader let the words sink in for a moment. "That puts a considerable amount of unaffiliated lives in danger. I repeat my offer for you to come to us. We have the means to transport you and your friend quickly to a private facility provided by our human associates. It would be faster and safer."

The hostility on the woman's face ebbed away with hesitance. She glanced up at the dark rooftops and down at her friend, weighing her options with obvious anxiety.

"Fine."

As soon as she had reluctantly acceded, Optimus saw the ground beneath his feet light up and give away, and with nothing to grasp on to, he began to fall.

* * *

Dawn stared at the empty street in front of her where the portal had just blinked quickly in and out of existence, taking the intended cavalry with it. The yellow robot bleeped furiously, shooting a few rounds up at the rooftops, which the dark figure easily dodged.

Goddamn robo-stalker just wouldn't give up!

Dawn was still angry enough to try and repeat what she had done with the drone, but her concentration was disrupted by the yellow robot, now turned car, skidding next to them. Dawn had no idea what he was bleeping about, but the door slamming open next to her was a clear indication.

Yeah... Nadia's safety first, revenge later.

Dawn felt she was beginning to get the hang of her new ability. Moving the deathly pale woman into the backseat wasn't too difficult when she used the severed tentacle to lift and guide her in. Yet another portal emerged at the turn of the road, and judging by the excited chirps from the yellow car, it was of friendly origin.

She pulled the tentacle carefully away from under the injured woman, slamming the door shut, and slipped quickly to the front herself. The car-robot floored it as soon as her feet were off the ground, the door closing by itself and even the seat belt fastening itself around Dawn, which she wasn't too fond of.

It took only a moment for the same thing to happen that had happened to the two robots who had come to save them. The ground ahead of them lit up again, too close for them to break in time. In a reflexive move, Dawn raised her hands, lifting all of them with the car and flying them over the portal. A long, rising bleep from the yellow car-robot sounded surprised, but Dawn didn't have time to figure out what he thought of her little stunt. As soon as they were over the danger she let them drop, seeing they were almost to the portal they were supposed to get to.

Nadia groaned, and Dawn looked worriedly back to her. In the corner of her eye, the light of the portal grew brighter as they approached it. A little more and they would be safe, she assured herself. No more of that faceless cr...

CRASH!

The car swerved into a wall as something hit the side with force. Dawn banged her head on the window, left badly dazed by the impact. In a pained haze she looked out to see the feet of a large, dark figure standing on the road.

She should've... kept watch...

She heard a screech of tearing metal and a sharp, ear-piercing beep, briefly thinking she was doing something with her powers, until she realized something was forcing its way into the back of the car.

Nadia!

Dawn tried to look back, but the sudden motion only brought an intense jab of pain and nausea that blinded her senses. She felt the car accelerate again, hoping it would be enough to shake off their pursuer just for the few seconds it would take them to reach the portal.

When they came to a stop and Dawn was able to focus her eyes again, she saw they weren't out in the streets anymore.

She couldn't take in her surroundings. Right then she cared about one thing only. Fumbling to get the seat belt off, Dawn turned more carefully on her seat to see Nadia.

The backseat was empty.


	6. Mistrust

Let's have a little break from all the action, shall we?

 **vampgirliegirl:** Short and on point. x)

 **Crysith. Dragon:** Sorry for the long wait. Megatron held me occupied elsewhere, so couldn't help it. Glad that the intensity came through successfully. :)

 **Guardinthena:** Oh goodness, now I can't stop picturing Soundwave generously handing out free trips to everyone in the audience. xD It's nothing new, though. Soundwave did the same trick in season three of Prime. xP I'm so glad the chase scene, as well as Soundwave came out right, both did require some rewrites.

And damn that Fowler! That was completely my mistake. I keep forgetting he's there. xD He was even supposed to go to the bar with the others at first, but I forgot to add him in. Whoops! So, sorry in advance whenever I'm going to forget him again. I still need him to be there, so I guess I should just write me a large note next to my laptop: REMEMBER FOWLER! Oh, I wish I had made him comment about humans not having powers, that would've been great. :D

And that was Soundwave in the end.

Now back to the story.

* * *

Dawn stared at the seat behind her. There were voices outside, loud ones that she still somehow couldn't pick up properly.

"– mblebee! By the All– what – ?!"

The crash had left her head thrumming in a punishing rhythm, made worse by a sudden beeping emanating from the yellow car.

Nadia...

"– not your fault. Now stay put, and –form until I –"

What... what had happened...?

The door behind Dawn's had been punctured and torn nearly off, dangling on by a thread.

Of course... That tentacled bastard had taken her...

Dawn struggled to break out of her stupor, turning her attention outwards to the huge, bunker-like facility and the mechanical giants inhabiting it.

"Could someone, and I'm looking at you, Fowler, come get this human out of the way so I can work. And after that, use your contacts and get a large enough ship out in the ocean to fish Optimus and Bulkhead out. I can't very well open a groundbridge underwater."

"You want fries with that order?"

"Can you make it happen or not?"

" It would have to be an aircraft carrier and I'm going to be owing someone a huge favor soon, but yes."

"Then you better get to it."

A large, steel-gray hand reached for the broken door, giving Dawn the last push to snap out of her inertness. Fumbling her seat belt open, she scrambled out of the car and crouched down with her eyes closed and holding a hand against her throbbing head.

"Take it easy", a grouchy voice advised. "It seems you didn't escape unscathed from Soundwave's last attack either. I'd suggest you make use of the human medics agent Fowler can no doubt provide for you."

"N-no!" Dawn protested hastily, opening her eyes and pushing herself up to her feet. "I have to go back."

Her eyes focused on a large figure kneeling next to the yellow car and carefully working on trying to straighten the torn door. It was a stern-looking, orange and white robot, and either too busy or too rude to show any sign of acknowledging her.

"I need to help my friend!" She shouted louder, gaining only an icy glance from the robot.

"So do I. Friends. One, who lies there on the medberth, seriously injured. Because of you, I might add."

The unfair accusation made Dawn instantly see red. "I did _not_ ask for any of this to happen! Do you really think I have any idea what's happened to me or why I can do these things, or why everybody in the world has suddenly decided to come after me, because I can tell you I don't! I told them to leave me alone, and if they can't comprehend that I mean it, I refuse to be held responsible for what happens!"

The orange and white robot stopped working and turned away from the yellow car with one metal finger raised at her and a cold weight behind his words. " _You_ sent a powerful pulse of energy this morning, which gained the attention of basically anyone who's developed technical skills beyond rubbing two sticks together. One of those parties is bent on conquering the known universe, including your tiny planet, and would have no quarrels with dicing you up and seeing what makes you different from all the other organics. Another party consists of the fools who are trying to keep that from happening and just risked their own lives to save that same, ungrateful organic."

Dawn had a hard time taking in what was being said, but she sure as hell felt a rising urge to do something about that condescending finger waving in front of her face.

"That would be enough with the pleasantries, Ratchet."

Dawn broke the heated eye contact, turning towards the only human she could see in the vast space. It was a middle-aged man sporting a cheap suit and a pudgy-looking build, but a hardened, been-around-the-block gaze.

"Special agent William Fowler", the man introduced himself briskly, extending a hand towards Dawn. "I know this place can be a regular coo-coo clock, but rest assured that the government of the United States and I, as the appointed liaison between humans and Cybertronians, are on your side. Those Decepticons won't even touch your shadow with their rusty claws anymore."

Dawn stared in disbelief at the offered hand, too distraught to even pretend to be courteous. "No! Aren't you listening? You have to send me back there. Now. Before they get away. Before... before they do something even worse to Nadia."

"We'll do everything we can for your friend, I promise you –"

"I don't care about your promises!" Dawn's voice rose close to screaming. "She needs help now! She's in this situation because of me! I- I don't get it! Why didn't they take me after the crash?! I wouldn't have even been able to fight back!"

"Maybe not right then, but later you might've", a gruff voice cut in from the background. "They got what they wanted. A leverage they can use to keep you in check. They're long gone with your friend already."

Dawn looked past the agent, back to where two more robots had followed their conversation.

Wheeljack. She might've been too anxious to pick up everyone's names, but she wasn't going to forget the first impression of him shoving and throwing her around.

"Then tell me..." Dawn demanded, returning the hard attitude. "Where can I find them?"

"Wouldn't we all like to know."

Useless... Dawn was quickly losing the last of her strained patience. "Fine. If that's all the help you can offer, I'll find them myself. Now for the last time, open that portal-whatever and send me back!"

"Whoa there! Easy on the throttle, girl", this time it was the red, horned robot circling spiritedly forth from behind the medical table and the small robot. "You're not seriously thinking of picking a fight against the 'cons all by yourself? Those kind of stunts are reserved for me. Hey, you've got a neat skill, I'll give you that, but you'd still be one human going against an army."

"I don't care!" Dawn was done repeating herself, done arguing when there was no time to lose. Goddammit, she was fed up with everything.

"I said send me _back_!"

The metal floor rippled like a wave around Dawn, moving outwards in a circle before settling back down to the way it had been. The yellow car was fine on its wheels, but both the fixer robot and the secret agent man had been thrown off balance and fallen ungraciously on the floor.

Dawn wasn't completely sure how she had done that. Nevertheless, she now had everyone's undivided attention. Wheeljack had transformed his hand into a cannon, keeping it aimed down, but ready at his side, and the others had similar cautious tension in their frozen forms.

Dawn looked around her, a twinge of uncertainty crossing her mind as she saw the shock on the mechanical faces. She didn't have the time to dwell on it.

"One way or another, I'm going to make you let me go."

"For Primus' sake, just open the groundbridge!" the orange and white robot snapped, climbing back to his feet with a resounding stomp. "If she wants to give herself in to a fate worse than death, it's her choice. Freedom of sentient beings and so on."

A brief silence followed, broken by Wheeljack retracting his cannon back into the folds of his changing arm. "Sure thing, doc."

Walking with a slight limp, the sword-carrying robot moved to the giant-sized console next to a large tunnel. As he pulled a lever, the all too familiar bright ocean swirls filled the tunnel walls.

"Hey, wait! Just hold on a minute", the agent had gotten back up, not ready to give up yet. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into. You have no idea what the cons are capable of."

"Really?" Dawn responded sharply. "Those people in the bar blown up without second thought, Nadia's legs crushed despite me pleading and promising to surrender... I think I got the general idea. It's them who don't yet know what _I'm_ capable of."

"Do you even know that yourself?"

Dawn couldn't answer that, and didn't try to.

"Sorry", she said to no one particular, and broke into a run, diving straight into the blinding tunnel. She didn't stop until she felt the cold air hug her bare arms and saw the swirling lights disappear from around her, leaving her alone with the gleaming darkness of the rainy night.

And the depressingly empty street.

* * *

"That could've gone better", Fowler groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "What a time for Prime to get dropped into the Pacific."

Ratchet only glared at the grumbling man, who sighed and took out his phone, heading for somewhere private to convince his higher-ups why they should lend him a ship worth billions of dollars.

"Should we... follow her?" Cliffjumper asked with an uncharacteristic lack of his 'act first, think later' -attitude.

"Starting to see she's bad news?" Wheeljack was already shutting down the groundbridge. "I wouldn't bother. Even if there were any cons left, she'd mow them down on her own."

"Don't forget you're still both waiting for treatment", Ratchet reminded gravely, optics returning to the twisted hinges as he continued working on removing their scout's damaged door. "I'll get to you two as soon as I'm done here, so _don't_ increase my workload in the meantime."

"This doesn't feel right", Cliffjumper insisted, recovering from his stunned state and starting to pace around with his hands flailing as he spoke. "The cons are going to get her one way or another if she's alone, and I don't like giving Megatron what he wants without a fight."

"Then learn to pick your fights better", Ratchet barked, glaring a warning at the horned mech. "Before you find yourself neck-deep in a smelting pit you can't climb out of. Trying to bring someone so unstable with an ability like that here was a mistake."

"You're seriously going to turn a blind optic to the advantage she could give us if she was on our side?"

"Are you going to turn a blind optic to the possibility that she could wipe us all out on a whim?"

"If we let Megatron torture and warp her, it's guaranteed she's going to end up dead or used against us."

" _I don't mean to complain here, but you're close to bending my plating with that grip, Ratchet."_

"Ah!" the Autobot medic turned back to his patient, loosening his hold. "I'm... Sorry, Bumblebee. There. Now don't you go anywhere either until I get this door fixed and reattached."

"That's funny..." Wheeljack mused by the base's computer, earning a disapproving scowl from Ratchet.

"What exactly do you manage to find funny in this situation?"

The wrecker stared thoughtfully at the map on the display. "Do you know why we're able to still track that human?"

"That's your new pastime? Presenting obvious questions?"

"The energon on her, right?" Wheeljack continued undisturbed. "She was coated in it."

"I happened to notice that gruesome fact, yes."

"Do you remember the incident in that one energon mine? When Fowler insisted on joining the raid."

Ratchet scraped the depths of his memory unit. "Yes, though I doubt he does. Not after the – "

The medic's optics widened as he caught on to the wrecker's thought process. "After he slipped in a puddle of processed energon and the contact scrambled his organic systems."

"Exactly", Wheeljack stated somberly, the sharp gaze of the blue optics turning to the orange and white mech. "That girl has had way more exposure, directly on that fleshy skin, for a good amount of time and it hasn't messed her up."

"Well... there could be individual differences with the effects..."

"Or maybe there's seriously something strange going on with her. Something other than _just_ the ability to reshape our structure at will."

Cliffjumper made a coughing sound to gain attention. "All the more reason to keep tabs on her..."

"No!" Ratchet snapped resolutely, a perplexed frown on his face plates. "I don't like how many unanswered questions there are. You're staying near the base and that's final. First we'll have to get Optimus and Bulkhead back and make sure everyone's fully functional. Then we're going to have to decide what to do about that human."

* * *

Getting out of the construction zone and approaching the downtown area had done nothing to relieve Dawn's anxiousness. Shivering from the cold air streaming past her, she kept glancing over her shoulder into the shadows, gripping Jupiter's handles tighter whenever a car's headlights approached.

She really hoped she wasn't going to get pulled over. Not only had she never driven, not to mention have a license for driving a motorcycle, but the police might've also found something funny about the fact that her ride was moving without making a sound, propelled only by the power of her mind.

Maybe she should've just avoided any patrols by flying the motorcycle home.

The thought was too much for Dawn's aching head, and she seriously contemplated on stopping the bike and having a nervous breakdown. She persisted, barely, passing by dimly lit parks, bike trails and residential areas with their twisting and intersecting roads. She was vaguely aware of the near limitless possibilities her power possessed, but her buzzing mind was too exhausted and overwhelmed to process anything.

Get home. Figure out a way to save Nadia. Crush evil robots. That was all she needed to focus on right then.

The fire escapes of their small apartment complex came to view. None of the buildings were as tall as they had been close to the neighboring town, and the last colorful leaves of autumn waved over them in the horizon. Dawn parked Jupiter in its usual spot beside a tall hedgerow and closed her eyes to check for the tell-tale white glow of any alien metal. Nothing, thank heavens. She desperately needed the break to sort her thoughts.

Dawn didn't kid herself by pretending that she would be safe at home. If they had known her name and how to find her in that bar, they had most likely found out where she lived too. Walking to the door of the red and white building, Dawn reached for her shoulder bag and the keys in it, only then realizing she didn't even have her bag.

Shit! It was in the ruins of the bar, wasn't it?

"You've gotta be kidding me..." she sighed exasperated, banging her forehead tiredly against the tempered glass door.

Her desperation didn't last long. She stared down at the lock. Her fingers descended on the cool surface and her eyes closed. She could easily see the mechanism inside. Searching the bolt that was keeping the door closed, she backtracked to the shifting pins. It took some focus, but she was able to move them to the level they were supposed to go to and pull back the bolt.

She tugged at the door, a triumphant smile breaking onto her face as it opened. So she was on her way to becoming an expert lock picker. It was a small victory, but one she needed right then. It also meant she would never need keys in her life again.

Their apartment door proved no more of a challenge. Dawn stepped in, closing the door behind her, and flicked on the light.

"Bigwig! Sorry, I..."

The rest of Dawn's sentence faded away as a strong, easily identifiable scent wafted into her nose. She stared at the frightening sight that awaited her in the entry hall. A sandy, dark brown trail came from the left, where Nadia's room and the kitchen resided. It led to a small plastic package, torn asunder in the middle of the entry hall.

Oh no... Again?

What had used to be a pack of ground coffee, had been destroyed, large, indistinct paw prints accompanied by a puddle of vomit leading to the opposite direction and into the living room.

"Bigwig?!" Dawn forgot the chaos her life had been plunged into, and rushed after the ominous trail, searching frantically for the furry mayhem bringer. She found the sizeable tabby quickly from under the TV shelf, lying on its side with all four legs sticking rigidly out, like someone had done a poor job trying to stuff and put it on display before abandoning the project.

"Oh, you hopeless little beast, I can't understand why you keep doing things like this to yourself..." Dawn muttered to herself, heart racing as she wrapped her hands around the hefty animal and pulled it into her lap. Fragrant ground bristled off from the long, orange-brown hair. She took a good hold of the furry head and opened the mouth to clean what she could get out and to remove anything blocking the airways.

As soon as she swiped her finger on the inside of the mouth, green eyes snapped open and the stiff feline twisted itself out of her hold, springing to its padded feet with a downright offended expression.

"And you've done it again", Dawn shook her head in disbelief, watching as the dissatisfied creature turned its back on her and sat down a couple of steps away, fur-covered back twitching in annoyance. "Why even bother taking you to the vet anymore, when every time we get there, you're already back to normal. You freaky cat. Yeah, who's immune to toxic substances..."

She reached her hand to touch the spotted fur, brushing off some more coffee. Had that vengeful creature rolled in the stuff just to spite them for leaving it alone in the middle of the night?

"Well, like it or not Biggie, you're going to take a shower. You're lucky Nadia's not here, 'cause she would –"

Dawn froze, realizing with a start that the incident had made her forget about everything else. She reached her powers outwards immediately, looking past the walls of the building and concentrating on the streets around it. Nothing seemingly out of place.

She sighed in relief. "It seems we still have time for that shower, but for both our sake, you'd better not make it a battle. God knows, there's going to be enough trouble as it is in the near future."

Bigwig gracefully allowed itself to be picked up and carried to the bathroom, purring contently as the full extent of its wrath came known to Dawn.

"Seriously?" she turned and raised the heavy cat in front of her face. "The coffee pack wasn't enough?"

The entirety of the bathroom's floor had been struck by a sandstorm originating from Bigwig's litter box. A box with a lid on. The persistent thing must've really put effort into it.

Dawn let out a heavy sigh, closing the door behind her and starting by fetching a brush. There was one source of unabashed evil she had no way of winning.

* * *

"So Soundwave failed..."

Megatron gave the Seeker walking slightly behind him a sidelong glance. Despite the twisted joint on his back that made one of the proud flier's wings jut out at an off angle, Starscream didn't miss the opportunity to take pleasure in someone else's failures. They did cover up his, after all.

"Even lost his mini-con. What a shame, once such a competent officer. Now what are we to do with the useless human he dragged in?"

"Why don't you utilize that crafty processor of yours and think up something", Megatron rumbled, exercising a highly developed, if overworked, skill of ignoring everything unimportant that came out of Starscream's vocal processor.

"Well..." the sleek Seeker's wings tried to perk up, only the uninjured one succeeding. "Humans do seem to be irrationally attached to each other, a trait no doubt useful in extorting this one to bend to your will. Will which you haven't deemed necessary to share with your loyal and hardworking supporters yet, Master."

No, he hadn't. He had learned ages ago, it was best for Starscream to know as little as possible.

They arrived at the medical bay, Megatron entering first with Starscream close to his heel. Knock Out had been kept busy with the massive operation of putting Laserbeak back together and trying to keep his spark from fading altogether. As they walked in, they could see Soundwave on a medical berth next to his mini-con's, the small flier hooked up to the Spymaster's own data filaments as well as the medical bay's life support system.

Soundwave didn't react to their arrival, no doubt absorbed in trying to aid his companion through their joint connection, the depth of which, Megatron had to admit, even he couldn't fully grasp. Soundwave had retreated to the medical bay after giving a detailed report of the chase and what he had learned of the human Megatron had sent him after, and had remained there ever since.

"Miserable..." Megatron heard Starscream mutter behind him. "Hasn't Knock Out still had the bolts to tell him it's hopeless. Soundwave's too attached to his mini-cons, and is only wasting valuable resources."

"You weren't complaining when I used those resources to give your finish that extra shine", Knock Out's voice stated from behind them.

Starscream jumped and whirled around, claws flexing as if with a desire to strike. Megatron merely glanced at the startled flier, directing his attention to the smirking doctor, who came in after them.

"Your report on both of your patients."

The small mech raised his hand to his chassis and gave a courteous nod, barely losing the wicked smirk from his face plates. "Of course, lord Megatron. As one would presume, Laserbeak's condition is critical. The only reason he's even functioning still, is the fact that his spark chamber resides more to the left than the average mech's, and that he wasn't split dead center, so the chamber remained intact. That said, the trauma was still massive, and it remains uncertain, even unlikely, whether there will be any improvement to his current state."

"Like I said, a wasted effort", Starscream repeated moodily, reaching over his shoulder to rub the base of his wing. "Effort that could be put to better use by fixing the rest of our warriors who got injured on the mission."

"I'll be sure to note your opinion on the matter if I ever find you in the same situation", Megatron promised curtly, looking at the displays between the two berths which showed one set of strong vitals, one with barely discernible fluctuations. He knew the signs of a Cybertronian slowly slipping into a vegetative state when he saw one, but there was no reason to doubt Soundwave for letting sentimentality cloud his judgment.

"And the human?"

"Well..." Knock Out drawled, leading them to the furthest berth. "She's still alive as you can see."

That was the most that could've been said, looking at the barely conscious, mutilated creature, who had been enlarged closer to Cybertronian size.

"Was the removal of the limbs necessary?"

"Who knows with these organics", the red medic shrugged. "But the damage done to her legs seemed to be fairly severe. A dull patient to treat, I must say. A downright disappointing amount of screaming even after I reduction beamed her and performed the surgery."

"Keep her alive", Megatron gave his order and turned to leave. "She's valuable in ensuring our new asset's willingness to co-operate."

"Asset's?" Starscream inquired as soon as they were back to following the dark-toned corridor. "With all due respect, Master, surely you do not mean to risk our entire crew by bringing that abnormal human here? The Autobots have already brainwashed her against us by now. Even if we keep a hostage, someone with a power like that... well, naturally I'm especially concerned for your well-being."

"Naturally", Megatron stated dryly. "Then allow me to dissolve your fears by assuring you that I intend to stay functional for eons to come, despite anyone's conflicting intentions."

"What a relief, indeed."

Try as he might've, Starscream couldn't keep the snarkiness out of his voice, but had the sense to at least correct himself in the end. "My lord."

Megatron resisted the urge to roll his optics. Starscream had been getting increasingly bolder in his arrogance lately. A reminder of his commander's authority might've been overdue. Soon, when he would uncover the Seeker's next scheme. He already harbored suspicions as to what it might be.

"We have no need to bring her here", Megatron left his inner musings at rest. "Make sure the troops are in fighting condition as quickly as possible. As soon as everything's ready and our scouts locate her or one of the Autobots, we shall deliver a message."

* * *

What else...?

Dawn tapped the wooden kitchen table absentmindedly with the end of her pen, staring at the scribbles already filling the paper from both sides. The morning sun cast a beam of bright light across the small, rectangular table and the hastily written notes Dawn had made in a desperate effort to clear her mind.

Names, appearances, sides, bits of conversation, abilities... everything she could conjure up from her hazy memories, she had written down while trying to stay awake and alert. Thank heavens she always kept at least two packs of coffee in the cupboards. The heavenly aroma alone had been enough to revitalize her. For a while. Now she felt only the steadily easing headache and lethargy.

Bigwig had gone to sulk after his shower, only the tip of his angrily flicking tail having shown from his 'cave' under the work desk as Dawn had cleaned the living room's laminate flooring. She had given the moping cat a thorough examination before letting it out of the bathroom, and as she had suspected, it was just fine and dandy. After that she had risked taking a quick shower herself to wash away the dirt and robot blood or whatever that oily stuff was. It had left her feeling considerably better.

Then nothing. Hours of nothing.

She was ready, so where were the bad guys?

Her thoughts had been driving her crazy the whole time. No sign of any robots. Government agents maybe, though she had no way of telling without going out and outright asking. Would there be another battle in the streets when they would come? But the streets were now busy with people going to work. Had they made a habit out of brawling in broad daylight, the whole world would've heard about them by now. Would they try to portal her right out of her apartment? Groundbridge they had called it. Probably not, it had been too big to even fit in any of the rooms.

How was she going to get Nadia back? Was she even still alive? That was the thought that tormented her the most. She didn't know what they wanted from either of them, and it made it harder for her to guess what they might do. Nadia was her best, the only friend really, and she couldn't just let her –

 _Knock Knock._

Dawn's eyes flew open. When had she even closed them?! Someone... was someone at the door?!

Slamming her hands on the table, she jumped to her feet, instantly wide awake and heart pounding. She dashed to the kitchen door, changing her mind and stopping in her tracks to use her metal sight to check the hallway outside the apartment. There was someone, but with barely any metal on them. Dawn changed her approach and snuck out of the kitchen, glancing around the corner to the entry and the front door.

Another set of firm knocks made her heart jump with nervous fear, which she quickly turned into aggressive resolve. This was it, she needed to be ready to defend herself, by any means necessary!

As quiet as she could, Dawn tip-toed to the door and leaned in to look through the peephole. A muttered curse escaped under her breath as the first things she saw, were a brown cowboy hat and a red, checkered shirt.

Seriously?! Did that guy never give up?


	7. The start of something

Time for Optimus and Dawn to have a chat.

 **vampgirliegirl:** Optimus indeed.

 **Guardinthena:** Thanks for the comment again! I always look forward to what you have to say. About dealing out misfortune, there's plenty of that to go around for all the characters. There really is no other way. x) I'm glad you liked Ratchet in the last chapter, I was quite proud of him too. The main difficulty with Cliffjumper I'm having is the fact that he's so similar to Wheeljack in his recklessess, and I have to be careful not to make their personalities too much alike. So far I feel I'm managing it. More of Bigwig's antics coming up. :D

* * *

Dawn pushed the apartment door cautiously open, coming face to face with the tall, roughly middle-aged man she had seen at the bar. Blue eyes inspected her earnestly from between the wide-brimmed cowboy hat and a raggedy beard.

"Hello."

The awkward greeting didn't ease Dawn's tension. She held onto the door handle, heart hammering rapidly in her chest. "What do you want?"

Her bluntness didn't seem to offend the bearded cowboy. "First and foremost, to inquire your well-being."

Dawn had to remind herself that the red checkered shirt and blue jeans didn't really hold a human underneath, but an illusion of some sort. "I'm still alive and breathing. Anything else?"

The deep baritone of the man's voice matched the seriousness of his eyes. "I had hoped you would reconsider your decision to stay here."

Dawn gave a displeased huff at having to repeat herself. "I'm _not_ going anywhere. I have to get Nadia back. My normal life back. I didn't ask for any of this."

"We do not always get to choose our fate. Merely what to do with it."

"Well, fate's going to have to drag me out kicking and screaming", Dawn muttered, nervously keeping an eye on the hallway behind the broad-shouldered cowboy. "Now you've successfully checked up on me. Will you leave?"

The look on the brown-haired man's face was unyielding."I do not believe it is wise to leave you unprotected. At the very least, I ask you to hear what I have to say."

Dawn gave an exasperated sigh, knowing it was probably the only way she could get rid of him. Closing her tired eyes, she quickly checked the nearby streets with her powers. A brightly glowing semi-truck drew her attention immediately. If it was where she thought it was, it was illegally parked, but other than the danger of getting a parking ticket, there seemed to be nothing threatening.

"Come in then."

"Thank you."

Dawn backed away, keeping her distance as the convincing human disguise stepped in and closed the door behind him. She couldn't shake her anxiousness, already questioning if she was making a mistake.

Her discomfort didn't escape the unexpected guest, who chose to stay by the door, making little to no movements. "Is there any way for me to prove I wish you no harm?"

Dawn paused to consider the straightforward question, grateful that at least he wasn't one to beat around the bushes either. "No. Not right now."

The cowboy nodded and moved on. "My apologies for not coming here sooner. It took some time to organize our return from the location Soundwave's groundbridge sent us to. Now that there is no imminent danger present, I suggest we seat ourselves and focus on the questions I believe we both have."

"Sure..."

There was no real reason to decline. Dawn gave an estimating look at the sizeable form of her guest, not comfortable about cramming the both of them into the small kitchen. She still wanted to keep her escape routes wide open. Having only one sensible option, she lead them into the living room and gestured towards the couch in the middle.

The long-legged cowboy seated himself, and Dawn moved over to an adjacent armchair, reluctantly taking a seat on the edge. She couldn't keep her hands from fidgeting as the blue-eyed man fixed a steady, observing gaze at her.

"They will keep your friend alive."

For a brief moment Dawn simply stared, then nearly jumped back to her feet in distraught. "How do you know that?! You saw how badly she was hurt! How would they even know how to treat her, if they planned to do so?!"

"Megatron will find a way. He would not waste the advantage having her as a prisoner gives him. Not when he is bent on obtaining your abilities."

"Or killing me off."

The bearded cowboy's expression grew sterner. " _That_ I will not allow as long as there is a spark in my chamber. Am I right to assume Megatron has not attempted to contact you yet?"

"I haven't seen anyone besides you."

"Then we should use this time to go over every detail in need of clearing up, before he delivers whatever threat he intends to make. Once we have organized our collective information, we can decide what our next course of action should be."

He sounded so sure. Dawn actually felt a twinge of relief, which she quickly suppressed. "I can save you some time and give you a written list of all the things I've been trying to grasp."

The rigidly sitting man nodded, and Dawn got up to head for the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight in the hallway, she checked the street again, just to find that nothing had changed. Could she trust this man? Robot. She wasn't even talking to the real him.

Sunlight had conquered more ground in the small kitchen, illuminating the white and grayish-blue room and the slowly swaying red and golden branches outside the window. Dawn grabbed the paper from the table angrily and turned her back on the carefree sun, suddenly filled with a sense of dread. What if she would actually have to go into hiding someplace else and remain locked up indefinitely?

The distressing feeling followed her back into the living room, scattered by a distraction that made Dawn stop in her tracks.

The red-shirted cowboy wasn't alone on the couch anymore. Bigwig had emerged from its lair and parked its furry behind on the backrest next to the man's broad shoulder, giving its best soul-piercing stare only inches away from the brim of his felt hat. The feline's pink nose leaned forward, long whiskers twitching.

Dawn approached the couch to hand over her notes. The bossy cat continued its sniffing.

"Should I... shoo him away?" she offered tentatively.

"No need", the stoic man answered curtly, taking the paper and glancing it over. "You have memorized several facts correctly. Although..."

He cleared his throat. "... I would have used less colorful phrases to describe Wheeljack. As for your questions, I will do my best to answer them, starting with a proper introduction I believe has been lacking."

Setting the paper aside on the couch, the red-shirted man locked eyes with her again. "My name is Optimus Pr-"

Bigwig proceeded to lick his hair.

The interrupted man looked mildly perplexed by the sudden contact. Dawn stared at the sight in disbelief. The beast of a cat stood on the shoulder of a complete stranger and groomed him like they had known for years! A stranger who wasn't even a real human. Dawn couldn't help, but feel irked that the troublesome feline had been tricked so easily.

"You know Bigwig's not the only one confused about your appearance", she accused. "I'm not too keen on talking to a borrowed face."

"My appearance..." the bearded man ignored the purring cat and looked at his hands. "This is what we call a holomatter avatar. A solid projection intended to aid us blend in when we visit inhospitable or isolated civilizations. Through this avatar, we are able to sense everything a real human would. Unfortunately, we are not the only ones to utilize this, as you know, so you should remain cautious of any strange humans for now."

"I always do", Dawn stated, thinking back to the bar and the conflict between the avatars. "So if your avatar gets hurt, you feel it too?"

"Yes, though we are able to sever the sensory link if we so choose. Sometimes it becomes a necessary measure to protect our own functionality. The mental strain in serious injuries can be overwhelming and take time to recover from."

Dawn could understand the reasoning, but it didn't help her irritation. "I would still feel a lot less crazy talking to the real you and not this country pumpkin you're pretending to be."

"If it causes you discomfort", the brown-haired and bearded cowboy stood up, leaving the disgruntled cat on the backrest with the tip of its tongue still sticking out. "I will change my appearance to a less confusing one."

The middle-aged man disappeared from the room, only to be replaced a moment later by an even bigger, human-sized version of the red and blue truck robot.

Dawn felt a surge of electrifying tension as her eyes glided over the pieces of metal plating, reflective windshields and smokestacks behind the broad shoulders, before focusing on the towering form's helmet-like head and glowing eyes.

The whole situation and the dangers looming over her felt suddenly much more real. Even Bigwig had disappeared from the couch, undoubtedly startled by the sudden change.

"My name is Optimus Prime", the metal giant extended his hand to her, finally able to finish his introduction. "I lead a faction called the Autobots. We fight to stop Megatron and his Decepticons from spreading their tyranny throughout the universe, to keep the free races from enslavement or annihilation."

It was one hell of an introduction. It was also consistent with what Dawn had learned so far. She looked at the mechanical hand, hesitant to take it. She still remembered the shock she had experienced from shaking hands with Megatron's avatar.

Her eyes drifted up to the patiently waiting silvery face plates. Swallowing her nervousness, she moved her hand forward, letting the bulky fingers close around hers.

Nothing happened. The metal felt warm. Not unpleasant.

She let out the air she had been holding in. "Dawn Evangeline Ward. Not that you didn't know that already."

"Our liaison helped us obtain the necessary information."

Dawn had to briefly close her eyes to verify what she was looking at. The "miniature" Autobot in front of her consisted of an intricate build of metal parts, though not the same bright white she had gotten from the truck outside. When she opened her eyes again, he was looking at her with tangible curiosity.

"Your abilities might yet prove a bigger surprise to us than our existence to you."

Dawn wondered if Optimus had guessed just now that she had been doing something with her powers. She decided to be more careful with what she revealed.

"I don't disagree with that", she let go of the large hand and stepped back. "I already know more about you than about the things I can do."

She moved back to the chair and slumped down, brushing stray hairs away from her eyes and trying to convince herself she wasn't as exhausted and nervous as she felt. Optimus remained standing.

"The things you can do..." the deep voice repeated solemnly. "That brings us to an important topic in our discussion."

The light in the luminous eyes moved away from Dawn as the Autobot seemed to ponder something. Dawn said nothing, and soon the large robot seated himself back on the couch with a foreboding creak. The blue gaze returned to her with a new kind of close scrutiny.

"For a new set of skills, you have learned exceedingly quickly to be able to avoid capture by someone as dangerous as Soundwave."

Dawn stiffened, recognizing the accusation in the words. "What are you implying?"

The expression on the mechanical face was unreadable, but suddenly Dawn got a strong feeling that their conversation had taken a drastic turn.

"I am stating a fact that seems unlikely."

The unfairness of the sudden accusation took Dawn by surprise, angering her immediately. "You think I'm lying?! Playing games with you?! My friend's life is at stake here!"

Optimus wasn't fazed by her outburst, leaning forward with metal-plated arms resting against his legs, and continued disturbingly calmly. "Can you prove you and your friend are who you say you are?"

Dawn stared at the Autobot in stunned disbelief. "I... I don't understand. Did you come here to help me or not?"

"I did", the red and blue robot claimed. "And I still intend to."

"Why are you accusing me of lying then?"

"The ability to reshape any metal structures at will..." the sizeable Autobot spoke deliberately. "And the fact that you seem to be quick to use that ability in different situations... You must understand how that is a concern for all of us. A concern I cannot take lightly."

Dawn averted her eyes, regretting having used her powers at their hideout. "Yes..."

"I do wish to help you and your friend", the large robot's resounding baritone rumbled with a softer tone. "As long as I can be certain doing so will not endanger any of my team members."

Dawn's anger lost its wind, leaving her only more spent. Fine. She didn't trust them either, so who was she to complain?

"What do you suggest we do?"

"What we have been doing so far", the Autobot leader replied, straightening himself again. "We talk."

Dawn frowned. "You mean you're going to interrogate me? Trust me, I was hassled enough by government goons yesterday to know the difference."

"You may ask me anything you wish, and in return, I expect you to be truthful in your answers."

"I don't have a habit of lying", Dawn assured defiantly.

"Neither do I", Optimus stated back.

Silence fell between them, both of them measuring the other.

"If I were to come with you..." Dawn shot the first question. "...would you want to use my abilities for your war?"

The neutral expression on the metal face shifted towards a heavier tone. "That is a justified question. My intention has never been to involve outsiders in our battles, nor is it now. I will not ask you to join our cause."

"But would you _want_ to", Dawn persisted. "If I were to offer my help."

The mechanical eyes stole a glance to the side, before Optimus gave his answer. "I... would be conflicted. We would benefit from all the help we can get, but..."

"You don't want to involve outsiders and get them killed", Dawn finished for him, satisfied with the answer that had been close to what she had expected. She waited to see what her metal-plated guest had on his mind.

The Autobot leader didn't take long, holding her gaze steadily as he spoke. "Why did you choose to attack Ratchet and agent Fowler?"

That wasn't what Dawn had expected.

"I-I didn't!" she protested, on the defensive. "It wasn't like that. I wanted to go after Nadia. Nobody listened to me and I... I was just so tired of it all. I didn't intend to hurt anyone."

"That isn't the only questionable incident to happen yesterday", Optimus pushed the subject, somehow managing to sound understanding and stern at the same time. "Are you in control of your ability, or does it simply react to your emotions?"

This time it took long for Dawn to come to the conclusion that she had no real answer to give. "I don't know. I mean, I can use it whenever I want."

She raised her hand towards the small coffee table that sat in the middle of the seating area. A lonely hairpin rose into the air from a bowl on top of it. Dawn levitated it for a moment to prove her point, then lowered it slowly back down and returned her attention to the quietly observing Autobot.

"It's just... when something bad is happening, I feel like I react instinctively, without thinking what I'm about to do. I just want something to happen and it does, one way or another."

Optimus said nothing, and Dawn lowered her eyes with an anxious need to explain herself more. "I'd like to say I never wanted to hurt anyone, but that wouldn't be true. Being there, in the middle of all the fighting... I did. When I got angry. That flying drone that came at me..."

"Laserbeak."

Dawn paused, as it finally hit her that it hadn't been just a piece of machinery, but a living being like the others she had met. Someone they had known and she had killed. And not just killed. Torn apart in front of them.

They had every right to be afraid of her.

"I'm... sorry..." she suddenly felt numb. "I don't think I can guarantee anyone's safety."

"You are not the only one", Optimus rumbled a lot more compassionately than Dawn would've expected after her confession. She raised her eyes back up.

"When Megatron is in question..." the Autobot continued with his deep baritone. "... there is little we can do to lessen the risks towards you or any other human. You, on the other hand, understand the danger your abilities pose to us and seem to harbor no intention of actively seeking to harm us. That is enough reason for me to find a way to aid you. We can find ways to minimize the risks."

Dawn had been lead to a state of confusion, feeling both relief and frustration. "I don't... I don't see why you should be that trusting of someone you just met. No, I don't want to hurt anyone on your group, but I didn't intend to hurt Nadia either and yet it was my fault her legs were mangled."

For a moment, the red and blue Autobot's neutral expression cracked, revealing something new beneath. "Burdening yourself with guilt will benefit no one, you least of all. This war has lasted too long, and seen too much regret and unnecessary losses already. Clinging to the guilt will only incapacitate you in the long run."

Sadness, the thought came to Dawn in a flash. Then the mechanical eyes closed, and when they opened again, the moment was gone. The sadness tucked away.

Dawn knew her next question now, having sensed the layers of experience in loss and hardships the stoic demeanor hid. "How long has this war of yours actually lasted?"

"Millions of your Earth years."

The revelation made Dawn's mouth open in disbelief. "How is that even possible?!"

"Our lifespans are long by your standards. I, myself, have witnessed the Decepticon uprising, as well as Megatron's decline into the ruthless warmonger he is today."

"So he wasn't exaggerating when he described you as his old friend."

"No..." a hint of the same sadness surfaced on the metal features for a few seconds. "Originally we shared the same want to see a better Cybertron."

Dawn was starting to get an understanding of the heavy feelings hidden away. "Sorry. Becoming enemies with a friend must've been painful. But why are you here on Earth when you have your own planet to fight for?"

Optimus heaved a sigh, the windshields on his chest rising and parting. "Cybertron suffered from a shortage of energon, our source of energy and life, already before the war, and finally the continuous battles ravaged our planet beyond recovery. We all had to leave. Earth is one of the planets that had been used to store the dwindling supplies of energon during the war. My hope had been to make this a refuge where we could regroup without the Decepticons learning of our presence. Unfortunately that hope proved futile."

Dawn crossed her arms and tried to take in everything, tried to imagine losing one's whole planet, imagine a never-ending war. She couldn't. She couldn't even get over the fact that the being sitting in front of her had already existed for millions of years. Far longer than the entire human race.

Optimus waited for her to collect her thoughts, before guiding the subject back to its earlier course. "Is there nothing that could shed light on the sudden awakening of your ability?"

It was Dawn's turn to sigh as she raised her hand to rub her temple. "No. I just... don't know. It happened so fast. Like I was struck by lightning. I was at the library. I think there was a light. And..."

"And?"

Dawn tried to reach some fleeting memory, but it was too frail to grasp. "I can't say."

"I understand", the red and blue robot assured patiently. "There might be other ways to reveal this mystery, if you are willing to trust us with it."

Dawn frowned, suddenly reminded of her trust issues. She had relaxed too much. It seemed to be an easy mistake to make around the Autobot leader.

"Don't take this the wrong way", she said, folding her arms back over her chest. "You seem like a stand-up guy, for an alien robot, but I don't trust you. I don't trust anyone. Save for Nadia."

And even she had kept some secret past from her.

Optimus only nodded in understanding. "Trust... is rarely obtained through the use of words. If I am unable to change your mind and your wish is to merely collaborate in rescuing your friend, I have no choice but to accept it. Nevertheless, it does not change my intention of protecting you from Megatron. I only hope we can reach some agreement on how to make that manageable for the both of us."

"Why?" Dawn asked. "Why do you bother wasting time on a stranger when you have the whole universe to save?"

There wasn't an ounce of hesitation in the glowing eyes. "Protecting life and sentient races is what sets us apart from the Decepticons. That is a principle I am not willing to compromise. I do not think you, even now, fully understand the horrors Megatron is capable of. He holds no mercy, considers no method of achieving his goals too brutal."

"Maybe I caught a glimpse of that, then", Dawn thought aloud, shivering inwardly as she remembered the effect the giant man had had on her. "When I shook hands with his human avatar, I was overwhelmed by this... nightmarish, tangible sensation of dread."

"Maybe..." the Autobot leader sounded open-minded, but not too convinced. "Do you believe you might possess other abilities beyond manipulating metal?

"I..." Dawn considered telling she could see metal with her eyes closed, but decided to keep it to herself for now. "... guess I could. But it seems a bit far-fetched to jump into any conclusions simply from that one time."

"Has nothing similar happened since your abilities manifested?"

It was another question that made Dawn hesitant. This time the blue mechanical eyes were sharp enough to pick up on it.

"So it has?"

Now she couldn't deny it without outright lying.

"With you", she said bluntly, feeling slightly embarrassed for some reason. "I did get a strange feeling from you when I first saw you. The real you. A restlessness of sorts."

"As did I from you."

Dawn fell silent, surprised by the Autobot's confession. She was used to her own mind playing tricks on her, but if it wasn't just her imagination...

"Before you left with your friend..." Optimus explained calmly. "... I experienced what I believe was the same kind of sensation you described. Restlessness... and familiarity."

"I can't imagine where the familiarity could come from", Dawn felt weary from the thought of yet another strange mystery. "Is that why you thought I might be someone else than who I claim to be?"

"I find that to be only a small possibility, but yes, that was one of the reasons."

He really seemed sincere, Dawn noted, looking at the broad-shouldered robot sitting on her couch with his serious face. He had given straight answers to everything she had asked. She felt that a part of her yearned to trust him, wanted to leave the burden she had been given to someone who knew what they were doing.

"Do you still feel it? That restlessness?"

Dawn blinked, having lost her focus for a second. "Right now? Maybe... I'm too anxious to tell."

"You haven't had any rest or medical attention yet, have you?"

This again? How many times would she have to tell him she was fine?

"I'm beginning to get the feeling you're a stubborn one", Dawn muttered dryly, leaning her elbow on the upholstered armrest of her chair and crossing her leg over the other. An unwelcome yawn forced its way out of her as soon as she thought about resting.

"Correct me if I am mistaken..." the deep voice persisted. "...but you appear fatigued. Are you absolutely certain you were not injured? I heard you were driving with Bumblebee when Soundwave attacked him. Considering your... less sturdy physique, I cannot bring myself to ignore the possibility of internal damage."

Dawn sneered. "I'm not sure whether I should take that as a compliment or an insult, but yes, I'm obviously tired. Internal damage? I think I would've noticed after several hours already. I bumped my head, but the headache's gone already."

"What about the energon you came in contact with? Did it cause any ill effects?"

Dawn presumed energon was the oily stuff she had been covered in. "No. I just washed it off when I got here."

Optimus still looked concerned, but nodded. "Very well... if you are certain."

Dawn could practically feel the dissatisfaction simmering inside the metal frame. The Autobot was itching to argue the subject further. She huffed, half-amused.

"You're a robotic being. Can't you just scan me or something so you'll get some peace of mind?"

The thick metal brows raised higher above the glowing eyes, then lowered into a disapproving frown. "Monitoring someone's inner functions is more suited between a doctor and their patient. Or partners with close bonds. In our current situation, it would be considered... inappropriate."

Despite her long-lasting tension and exhaustion, Dawn couldn't keep a wry smile from sneaking onto her face. The sudden awkwardness from the mighty robo-truck warrior was too funny to ignore. "Alright, so robots value privacy too."

The frown lifted, returning the Autobot's face back to its neutral, slightly relieved expression. "Thank you for understanding."

If Dawn had thought the subject of her health was dealt with, she was mistaken.

"If I am unable to convince you to seek medical assistance, I must insist on getting you to rest at least. Fighting the Decepticons, as you clearly intend to do, will not go well with your reserves empty."

That was exactly why Dawn had hoped they would come for her quickly. She already felt the effects of the stressful events and staying up all night heavily. On top of that, she was responsible for what had happened and whatever would still happen to Nadia, and she was terrified she wouldn't be able to make the right decisions.

The Autobot leader must've sensed the weak point in her defense, since his rumbling voice gained a more resolute tone. "Allow me to take you to a safer location where you can rest."

"No", Dawn still declined. "I can't go into hiding when Nadia's life might depend on how quickly I can get her back. I need those Decepticons to find me."

Optimus fell silent, giving her an inscrutable look. "I am beginning to get the feeling you're a stubborn one."

Dawn's previous smirk evolved into a tired smile. "Yeah, we're going to get along fine, aren't we?"

A small, surprisingly warm smile graced the smooth metal features in return. "There are always ways to compromise."

"Alright", Dawn conceded. "Shoot. What's next?"

"Rest here and I will keep watch. After that, we will continue our discussion and formulate a proper plan."

Dawn tensed, her lightened mood plummeting again. "I don't know..."

"You don't trust me", Optimus stated matter-of-factly.

"I... want to", Dawn found herself admitting. "But I also believe in being prepared, and you... you can project yourself anywhere I am. My power didn't even work on you earlier, as I'm sure you noticed. You already have the upper hand, and I'm supposed to lay down all my defenses and trust that you don't suddenly decide it would be safer for all of you to get rid of me after all."

Optimus let her harsh words slide with patience that reminded Dawn of Nadia's calming presence. "I'm sure your difficulty to trust others has a reason behind it."

"Mm..." Dawn stalled, feeling unpleasantly vulnerable. "I... can't really say that. There's no great betrayal that would've left me distrusting. I have no excuse. I'm just... wrong in the head. It doesn't bother so much under normal circumstances, but this..."

A strained creak from the couch alerted Dawn to the fact that the heavily-built Autobot had stood up. She uncrossed her legs, feeling a dire need to move away as the towering figure stepped closer and got down on one knee in front of her, still reaching higher than her.

"You trust your friend, do you not?" the deep voice asked gently, getting a cautious nod from Dawn. "How did she gain your trust?"

Dawn shrugged, fidgeting in her seat nervously as she was forced to encounter the glowing, observant eyes from up close. "With time, I guess. Of course it helped that she didn't murder me in my sleep after we first moved in together and I lost the keys and gave the moving company a wrong address on the same day."

Another faint pull tugged at the corner of the metal mouth. "Are you saying the first step towards gaining your trust would be for you to survive my watch?"

"Well, there might've been a few other factors involved", Dawn muttered evasively, realizing there really was no other way than to put herself on the line if she wanted to find out how trustworthy her robotic guest was. "She found work for me too, which thankfully I don't have to go to today."

"What kind of work do you do, if that is not offensive of me to ask."

Dawn looked at the tall Autobot, perplexed by the sudden change of topic. "Is asking that offensive to your kind?"

A reminiscent look overtook the mechanical eyes. "There was a time when every Cybertronian's purpose in society was determined solely by what they could transform into. An ideology both I and Megatron rose to resist. But our history is a story too long to be shared right now when we have more pressing matters at hand."

Dawn had no trouble believing that. "I'm an animal handler. Temporary posts, currently at a wildlife shelter. It's good work. Exciting and peaceful at the same time."

Optimus nodded attentively and Dawn found herself returning the question. "What about you? What did you do before deciding to giddyup and save the universe."

"I was an archivist."

"Huh..." Dawn gave the Autobot an appraising look. "That's... quite the career change."

"Indeed."

Dawn was very slowly starting to feel their talking might make her lose some of the tension the close proximity caused her. It must've been what the Autobot was trying to do. Get her used to his presence and convince her nothing bad would happen. Dawn didn't know if she appreciated the effort or hated it.

"Have you come to a decision yet?" Optimus returned to their earlier subject. "Will you allow me to watch over you?"

There was no getting around it. Dawn knew she needed sleep and no matter how much she hated to admit it, there really was something reassuring about the large red and blue robot. Her jumbled mind worked to present her with the inescapable facts.

She was exhausted and it would only get worse with every passing hour.

The Autobots were definitely enemies with the Decepticons.

She had no means of finding Nadia, she was greatly outnumbered, and compared to an evil warlord, severely lacking in experience.

Briefly put, even with her powers she was in a serious disadvantage the way she was now.

"I... accept your offer", she finally gave up on her reluctance. "Give me a few hours to sleep and I'll be ready for anything."

"You won't be fighting alone", Optimus reminded, standing up and taking a step back with a look of relief.

"Yeah..." Dawn got up too, feeling her tension ease as she got some distance between them again. She headed quickly past the large Autobot, feeling both relieved and guilty at the thought of getting some sleep. She was probably too tired to even have any nightmares.

"You'll wait here?" she turned to ask as she approached her door on the other side of the living room. "I mean this avatar of yours?"

"Yes", Optimus confirmed. "I will keep watch as long as I am needed. Rest easy."

Dawn couldn't stop herself from grimacing. "I'll try."

* * *

" _I still don't like this, Optimus"_ , Ratchet's voice argued through their comm. link an hour and a half later. _"What does it take for you to see there are too many risks involved here? We know nothing of her! And you being out there alone for this long makes you a target for the Decepticons. I'll bet my t-cog they're already lurking around there somewhere. Let me at least send Bulkhead and Bumblebee to back you up."_

"That will not be necessary", Optimus replied patiently to his friend's worries, having retreated most of his consciousness back to his parked alt mode and leaving the holomatter avatar sitting inside the human habitation complex. "I am keeping my optics ready for unexpected company. In case our new human acquaintance is ready to accept our help when she wakes up, it is best to agitate her as little as possible."

" _She won't even know they're there."_

"I wouldn't be so certain..." Optimus thought back to the way the human had closed her eyes when she had taken his hand, and the way her eyes had moved under their lids as if she had been looking at something. "I have a feeling she can do much more than what we have seen so far."

" _Great"_ , Ratchet huffed at the other end of the comm. link. _"More dangerous gimmicks is just what we need."_

"Nevertheless, I am going to give her as much time to rest as I can. She will need her strength if she still intends to participate in freeing her friend."

" _Do you even have any idea how we're going to do that?"_

"I'm afraid we will have to wait until Megatron makes his move, before we can decide on the means."

Optimus heard a groaning sigh from the medic. _"Both him and that human are unpredictable and dangerous. Just for once I'd like us to have the upper hand."_

"Then let us make sure we live to see that day."

" _Hrmph"_ , Ratchet grunted. _"Speaking of the living, Arcee's back on her pedes and feeling well enough to bug me for something to do."_

"I have never doubted your medical skills."

" _I can't say the same"_ , Ratchet muttered under his breath. Optimus said nothing, knowing the aged Cybertronian was still regretting his inability to repair Bumblebee's voice box.

" _There's another thing too"_ , the medic shrugged off his somberness. _"Wheeljack and Cliffjumper went out to search for more energon. Or more trouble. I managed to get Bulkhead to stay here in case you required urgent back up, but those two lugnuts are giving me a severe processor ache with their recklessness."_

It wasn't a novel issue. Optimus knew better than most the fine line that separated the diligent medic's manageable worries from the ones that needed to be dealt with before they got out of hand. This one had been steadily closing the latter.

"I will talk to them", was the only promise he could give at the moment. It wasn't enough, and the fact was evident in the bitter tone of Ratchet's final words.

" _I doubt all the talk in the world will make a difference."_

The end of the conversation brought Optimus' attention fully back to the peaceful street and to the few cars and recreational runners that passed him by. Such peace was something he dreamed of seeing back on Cybertron one day. Something he didn't want to see Megatron destroy once again.

Optimus had fought enough desperate battles. Not just against the Decepticons. The dissension among their own forces, his own self-doubts... They needed every victory they could get, even if it was as modest as keeping one single life from –

"No!"

A distant scream snapped the Autobot leader's focus back to his holoform. Leaving the couch, he rushed towards the personal quarters where the human had retreated to, and slammed the door open.

The small room held no Decepticons, but something was clearly ailing the unconscious human. A pained expression twisted her features as she writhed tensely on her bed covers, frantic whimpers begging for something to go away. The urgency of her voice and movements convinced Optimus that there could've been a real threat. He moved to the side of the bed and leaned down to grasp the human's shoulder.

"Dawn? Can you hear me? Are you –"

That was as far as Optimus got before blinding pain struck through the head and torso of his holoform, sending his consciousness reeling back into his real frame along with the pain.

* * *

Dawn wasn't too tired to have nightmares. In fact, they were even worse than usual. They were also more difficult to wake up from. Even as her eyes opened, Dawn could still catch a glimpse of the huge burning-eyed figure hunched over her. Then the dream released her and Dawn was alone in her room again.

She sat up, shaking, and for a moment she had no idea what she was supposed to do, if she was supposed to be at work, if it was her turn to make breakfast or if she was simply allowed to lay back down and try to catch more sleep.

Why was the door open? Dawn stared cluelessly in front of her, only growing more worried when she noticed two metal poles embedded into the wall, and more lying on the floor next to her.

How the hell...?

The poles looked familiar. Dawn looked back to the bed's iron headboard, finding it almost emptied and twisted out of shape.

"Impressive."

The raspy voice made Dawn's heart freeze in the middle of its beat. Her head whirled to look to the other side of the bed, and to the massive, white-haired man who had just appeared there.

Blown up bar... Giant robots...

Megatron.

Dawn didn't stop to think. Her body was off the bed and running before the loose thoughts could form a proper sentence. Out the bedroom door, a sharp right and across the living room towards the hallway –

Something grabbed her arm, and before Dawn could make sense of the suddenly spinning world she was slammed against a wall, hard. The collision shook her to her very core, jarring her mind as well as bones. A crushing weight pinned her back against the wall, keeping her upright and compressing her already emptied lungs.

"You certainly are making a habit of trying to run away from me. A wasted effort, I can assure you."

Dawn could barely give a strained groan with the powerful holoform's forearm squeezing her chest.

"Excuse the rough handling", the raspy voice continued conversationally. "A necessary precaution to keep you from doing the same thing to me that you just did to Optimus."

There was the same fear. Dawn pushed frantically against the huge forearm, overwhelmed by the nightmarish horror and repulsion that had struck her once already at the bar.

"I didn't... do anything..." she struggled to draw breath, wincing as the jagged features came to loom above her face.

"Oh, I beg to differ", the holoform's purple eyes were lit with malicious contentment. "You attacked him when he was coming to your aid. He didn't even have the time to disconnect from his holoform. Judging by the number of those rods, you impaled him from several places."

No, there was no way, Dawn's mind denied. She didn't remember doing anything like that.

The Decepticon leader gave a gruff chuckle, easing the pressure on her slightly. "I shouldn't be surprised by such brutality after seeing you tear poor Laserbeak in half so easily. It's going to take Optimus some time to get his processors straight after a shock like that. Which is time I intend to make full use of."

Dawn couldn't stand to look at the Decepticon leader anymore as he brought his face next to hers, huskily breathing out an ominous promise into her ear.

"You and I have much to discuss."


End file.
